Kokoro no Seto
by Hikaru Hayashi
Summary: AU: Seto has realized his true feelings for Sophia (OC), but will they have a smooth realationship, and can Sophia deal with Seto's bad temper? [Pairing: SetoxOC] Chapter 23 is finally up!
1. Another Transfer Student

By Hikaru Hayashi

Hikaru: Awright!! I'm doing something waaaaaay different with this fic!! This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! fic with my original characters and it's kinda AU. This first chapter is kind of a Prologue, basically explaining the setting. (I'm doing this 'cause most people write OC fics and don't tell anyone what the blazes is going on. That, next to yaoi fanfic, has got to be my biggest pet peeve ever!!)

The basic summary: The school is WillowBrook High, and they are in fierce competition with Domino High. So what happens when Seto Kaiba, a student from Domino, transfers schools and meets up with Sophia (OC) and her friends? And what happens when Sophi realizes she has the hots for Seto? What will she do to get him to like her back, seeing as how he is very stubborn and has a heart of ice (or so it seems)? (Hence the title! See how that worked perfectly?!)

Shall I start?

Disclaimer note: I only own the Characters I'm about to explain. I don't own anyone from Yu-Gi-Oh!

I don't know how anyone would like it, but I will tell you that a few other people from Yu-Gi-Oh (i.e. Anzu and Yugi) will be appearing from time to time. Let's start the Introductions, I don't want anyone to be confused with my OC's!!

My OC's Are:

Sophia—The main character (next to Seto). She is a transfer student from America with strange powers. She's not allowed to use her powers in everyday situations, but sometimes crap happens. She may act like a shrimp, but she's actually very tough and ya don't wanta make her angry...

Riley—First name Andrew. Born in Japan. His father is American and his mother is Japanese. His family owns Riley Inc. and is rivals with KaibaCorp.

Izumi—the equivalent to a female Honda. She does not become very important to the story until a bit later. She is Riley's "girlfriend" and her first name means "fountain", for those who didn't know. She is on the school's dance team and befriended Anzu, even though their schools are rivals.

Sophi's Parents-Jenna and Rick Carmichael. They too possess strange powers, which Sophi inherited. Rick's job is the reason the family moved to Japan in the first place, however, after high school, the parents wish their daughter to return to America to finish her education. Jenna is very sweet and likes everyone, while Rick is very choosy and thinks Seto is a royal pain in the butt.

The characters you know are:

Seto and his brother Mokuba, Yugi, Anzu, and later on possibly Jonouchi, Ryou, and Honda.

I think that's enough background, so without further delay...let the story begin!

Kokoro no Seto Chapter 1: Another Transfer Student 

"The Boy from Domino High"

Sophia Ann Carmichael walked out the door. "Bye Mom! See you later!" She had been living in Tokyo for almost 3 1/2 weeks, and was enjoying it.

On her way to school, she met up with Izumi and her friend Anzu, from Domino High. 'I always thought we were rivals with them...' thought Sophi.

"Hey there Sophia!' said Izumi, cheerfully. "How are things?"

"Hey, Izumi," said Sophia. "Been here almost 4 weeks and still can't get used to the uniforms..."

"Don't worry," Anzu butted in, "you will. Give it some time."

"So," started Izumi, "ya wanna hang out with me and Anzu after school?"

"Sorry," said Sophi, regretfully, "I've got water polo practice after school today." [A/N: For someone who's only been at the school for a few weeks, she's extremely popular, and on the Water Polo team. Go figure, huh? Also, this part is extremely important to future events.]

"Well, talk to you later!" said Anzu as she went her separate way. "And see you after school, Izumi!" She hopped off, meeting up with her friend Yugi on the way.

"Hey, Izzy," said Sophia, "why do you hang out with Anzu?"

"You Americans and your darn nicknames!" Izumi said annoyed. "Well, DUH!! She's my friend!"

"I don't know...she seems a little naïve to me..." said Sophia. "I wouldn't want her being MY friend. And her friends are kinda naïve too...they seem like idiots..."

"You just don't like them 'cause they're our rivals!!" said Izumi. She didn't say anything else to Sophia on the way to school.

Sophia walked into her first period class and took her seat. She looked over in Izumi's direction. She waved, but Izumi ignored her. 'She must still be mad at me for saying Anzu is a naïve fool...' she thought.

"Hey, hey hey, Sophia!" came a loud energetic voice from behind her.

She turned around to see Andrew Riley and his unforgettable smile, frizzy reddish-brown hair, and dark sunglasses.

"Hey, Andrew." She answered.

"Ah, no no no!" he replied. "I HATE my first name. Please, call me Riley!"

"Sorry." She said. "Habit. I'm used to calling people by their first names. It's how I was brought up." [A/N: This part effects what happens in the end of this chapter and the next.]

"Yah, wutever..." said Riley. "You'd call your PARENTS by their first names if they'd let you, right?"

"I suppose..." Started Sophia. The teacher then interrupted her.

"Class, may I have your attention, please? (Listen or else!!)" [A/N: The teacher, Kumogata-sensei, has a split personality. Part of her is nice and the other part...well...]

The class quickly gave Miss Kumogata their attention. They had remembered the one student who defied her and was sent to the nurse's office with a broken arm.

"It appears we have a new transfer student."

"Agh! Another one?" said a random student while taking a glance in Sophia's direction.

Sensei heard this. "Yes, that's right." She replied. "Another one."

Izumi curiously asked, "Is it a boy this time? No one at this school is hot, except Riley."

Riley blushed slightly, while the other boys in the class became frustrated.

"Yes, Izumi. As a matter of fact, he transferred here from Domino High." Said Miss Kumogata.

'As long as he's not hentai like these other freaks,' Izumi thought, 'I think I'll live.'

Sophia was in deep thought. 'Hmm, from Domino? I wonder what he's like?'

Riley jumped up. "Yes!" he shouted. "My new rival!!"

"Riley-kun! Sit down!!!" ordered Sensei.

"Ah...sorry..." Riley sat down sheepishly.

Just then, the door opened. Sophia turned her attention towards the door. "Ah! There he is now." Said the teacher.

Sophia gasped. "Oh, wow..." she whispered. "He's very...handsome!"

The boy had short brown hair and, if Sophia wasn't mistaken, very beautiful blue eyes.

"Class," started the teacher, "This is our new student, Seto Kaiba!"

The boy looked up. "Well," said Miss Kumogata. "Say good morning, or something."

The boy called Seto muttered something under his breath that sounded like "Whatever..."

"Fine!" said the teacher, trying not to lose her temper. "If you won't say 'hello' I'll just assign you to your seat. There's an empty seat over by Sophia, the girl with the long black hair."

Sophia glanced at the empty seat next to her. 'Oh boy...' she thought. 'Well, now's my chance to make a good first impression!'

Seto took his seat. Sophia looked over at him. 'Should I say something, or should I keep my big mouth shut...?' She noticed him glance at her. Sophia gasped. 'He's looking at me...' she thought. Then he spoke, and it wasn't she had been expecting to hear.

"Look you..." he started. "You've been staring at me since I walked through the door. Now, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm going to ask you to look somewhere else and this is the only time I'm going to ask you nicely...STOP STARING AT ME!!!"

Sophia jumped. She was shocked. She couldn't believe how mean he had been to her. 'Um...I'm very sorry if I was staring at you, Seto...' [A/N: Mistake # 2...]

He glared at her. "Call me by my first name again," Seto said, coldly, "And I will punch your face in, so help me! I don't care if you are a girl!" With that, he folded his arms and focused his attention back to the front of the room. "Hm! Silly girl..." he muttered. "What was she trying to be nice or something...silly baka girl..."

Sophia looked down at her desk. 'Great,' she thought, 'my one chance to make a good first impression...and I blew it!! I can't do anything right!' Tears started to fall down her cheeks. 'Fine!' she thought. 'If that's how he wants to play, I'll play along! I will do whatever it takes to make Seto like me! Even if it's the last thing I do!!'

End Chapter One

Hikaru: Interesting, no? Tell me what you think. Heck, I'll go against my policy and even accept a few flames for this one! As long as it's constructive criticism and not criticizing me just for the heck of it (I will search you out and destroy you if you do!!) Ja ne!


	2. Sophi's Frustration

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
I'm so happy!! I didn't think people would review!! "Domo Arigato, minna!!" Now I get to do chapter 2. Whoever reviewed was smart...'cause it gets better in chapter 2!! A'ight! Let's do this!  
  
Disclaimer note: The only characters I really own are Sophi and her family, Riley, Izumi, and crazy Kumogata-sensei. I do NOT own Seto Kaiba and his brother Mokuba, who needs to take a cruise to the shadow realm to cool off a bit! (Actually, I don't own anyone from Yu-Gi-Oh! who happens to appear in the story.)  
  
Now Let's Begin!  
  
Kokoro no Seto  
  
Chapter 2: Sophi's Frustration  
  
The rest of Sophia's day at school went by slowly. She was still upset about what happened between her and Seto at first period. And going to her other classes didn't really help, because he was in all of her classes except one—her last period.  
  
On her way to her locker, she saw Riley arguing with Seto. 'Why are they fighting, I wonder?'  
  
"You got some nerve showing yo face at ma school, you punk!' shouted Riley.  
  
"Well, deal with it!" Seto shouted back. "Moron..."  
  
"Oh...I KNOW you did NOT just..." said Riley, annoyed. "Aw, it's on now!"  
  
"Okay!" shouted Seto, dropping his books on the floor. "Bring it!"  
  
'This does not look good...' thought Sophia. She ran up to them to break them up before any punches were thrown. "Don't fight! Please!" she shouted.  
  
Riley stopped, thought for a second, then said, "Y'know, I was about ta make a HUGE mistake! If I'd started that fight, I'd probably gotten suspended; I'm already in a bit of trouble. Thanks, Sophia!" With this he walked away, but not before glancing at Seto. "You got of lucky, punk!" he said.  
  
Seto ignored this. "Whatever..." he said before picking his books back up and putting them in his book bag. He turned to Sophia, who was still standing there. 'Not her again...' he thought as he started to walk away.  
  
Sophia called after him. "Wait! Seto!!"  
  
He stopped and glared back at her. "You'd better watch yourself, baka- girl!!"  
  
"My name's Sophia!" she shouted back.  
  
"Whatever..." he muttered as he turned and walked away.  
  
"Oh, wait..." she started, but Izumi showed up and stopped her.  
  
"Sophia, don't bother." She said to her calmly. "Kaiba's the biggest loser on the planet. Just ignore him!"  
  
'So she's talking to me again...' thought Sophia. "Well, I've gotta go," she said. "I'll be late for practice. I'll talk to you tomorrow. See ya!" With this, she walked off.  
  
Sophia sat in her room that night thinking. She was supposed to be studying for a big History test, but she had forgotten about it. [A/N: Mind you, Sophia's an extremely bright student.]  
  
'Gosh, I wonder why Seto doesn't like me...?' she thought. 'I think he could be pretty nice if he would open up a little. It's not good to be a loner.'  
  
Just then, she heard her mother calling her. "Sophia, are studying up there?"  
  
"Yes, Mommy!" she lied.  
  
"You've been acting strange ever since you got home from swim practice." Came her mom's voice. "Don't make me have to come up there!"  
  
"Okay Mommy!" she said, granted she couldn't have cared less what her mother had just said. Just then, she got a brilliant idea.  
  
'I know!' she thought. 'I could try talking to him. No! I've tried that and look where I am now! Maybe...' She got out her notebook and started scribbling. 'Agh! I give up!' she thought as she looked at her clock. The time read 9:50. 'This is doing me no good. I'm going to bed!' She turned out the light, slammed her face in her pillow and screamed from frustration.  
  
Sophia walked out of her house the next morning feeling a bit tired. 'If it's not the uniforms, it's having to be to school at 7:30. Argh!' she thought. 'At home, we didn't have to be to school 'till 8!' As usual, she met Izumi and Anzu on the way to school.  
  
"Hey there Sophia!" said Anzu cheerfully. "Did you sleep okay last night?"  
  
'Does it look like it, you geek?!' Sophia thought angrily. 'She is so naïve!!' "Oh yeah!" lied Sophia. "I'm doin' real swell!"  
  
Izumi saw through the lie. "Hey," she whispered to Sophia. "You wanna talk about it?"  
  
"Not with the Empress of Losersville standing right over there!" she whispered back.  
  
"Anzu!!" came a voice from behind them. The three girls turned around to see a kid with spiky tri-colored hair.  
  
'Wow!' thought Sophia. 'It's the other freak!!'  
  
"What's up, Yugi?" said Anzu.  
  
"What's up is that we're about to be late! Come on!!" Yugi said as he grabbed Anzu's hand and kept running.  
  
'...Stupid!!' thought Sophia. She giggled.  
  
"Hey!" said Izumi. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Oh, nothing..." Sophia said. 'Except your pathetic friends from Domino High...!' she thought.  
  
"So what's your problem?!" Izumi said, a bit annoyed. "You've been acting cranky like this ever since that jerk transferred to our school!"  
  
"Seto is not a jerk!" shouted Sophia.  
  
"He's a big, fat, jerk!!" Izumi shouted back. "And you know it!"  
  
"He's not!"  
  
"He is too!"  
  
"Argh!" Sophia stormed off, leaving Izumi by herself. "Is not!!" she shouted back.  
  
'Fine, whatever...' thought Izumi, 'think what you want, Miss Queen of Denial!'  
  
Sophia stormed into her first period classroom. Usually, only a few people are there. Today, a whole group of students were crowded around a desk. 'What's going on?' she thought. She walked towards the crowd of kids and saw two boys playing with cards. 'Ooh...are they dueling...?' she thought. Sophia was pretty good at Duel Monsters herself and before she moved, she had the honor of being the only girl to beat all the boys in her neighborhood.  
  
'I wonder who's dueling?' she thought as she squeezed through the crowd. It turns out that all the kids that were crowded around had all lost to one person, and someone else was about to lose to the same person...  
  
"NO!" shouted Riley. "I...I...I never lose! AGH!! This CANNOT be happening!"  
  
"Ha ha hah! You're out of life points, Riley!" said an awfully familiar voice. "Now BEAT IT! Isn't there anyone at this pathetic school who can challenge me and stand a chance?!"  
  
'...It's Seto!!' thought Sophia. She then realized how she could get him to notice her. She pushed her way through the crowd. "Seto Kaiba!!" she shouted.  
  
The crowd became silent. Seto stood up and faced her. "What do you want now?!" he said, annoyed.  
  
"I'm challenging you to a duel is what!" Sophia said with confidence.  
  
Seto was quiet for a while. Then he began to chuckle. "...heh heh! You think you can challenge me?"  
  
"Yes," she said calmly.  
  
"You're makin' a big mistake..." whispered Riley.  
  
"Hah! Go home and play with your dolls, little girl!" Seto said, mockingly. "If these losers couldn't beat me, I don't see how you could! You won't last five minutes!"  
  
"Wanna bet?" she said.  
  
'Ooh...' thought Riley. 'She's tough! She's tougher than I gave her credit!'  
  
Seto looked thoughtful for a while. "Hmm...Okay. This could be fun." He said as he sat back down and shuffled his deck. "All right! I'll play with you, little girl! I need someone else to clobber anyway."  
  
'Trust me...' Sophia thought, 'I won't be the one getting clobbered...!'  
  
End Chapter Two  
  
Ha hah! That was cruel, wasn't it? Ya wanna know what happens? Ya gotta review! Ja ne! 


	3. Duel!: Sophia vs Seto, pt1

By Hikaru Hayashi

Okay, so this was a strange chapter for me to write; I've never done anything like this before. So let's see how it all turns out! (Also, just sue me; I only know the dubbed names of the cards...)

Disclaimer note: I don't know how many times I have to say it! I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! (I don't own the characters or the cards...well, I own the cards, but...ah you know what I'm saying!) I only own the crazy teacher, Izumi, Riley, and Sophia's family.

All right, that's over. Let the frenzy begin!

Chapter 3: Duel!!: Sophia vs. Seto, pt.1

Sophia sat down and took her time shuffling her deck. Riley was standing by her chair biting his nails. 'She's never gonna beat him!' he thought.

'I just know for a fact that I'll beat him,' Sophia thought. 'Wait till I show everyone how good I really am...I think I'll play with him for a while!'

Seto noticed the smirk on Sophia's face. 'That no good brat...what is she up to...?' he thought.

Sophia slowly placed her deck on the desk. "I'm ready!"

"It's about time..." muttered Seto.

"Ladies first," said Riley, noting that Sophia should go first.

"Fine! Whatever," Seto replied. 'I'll beat her anyway...it won't matter who goes first!'

"All right! Then it's my turn!" she said, drawing her first card. She looked at her hand. She had mostly magic and trap cards and Penguin Soldier (Att/750; Def/500), and the card she just drew was Change of Heart. 'Hmm...not bad...' she thought.

"Are you gonna move or not!?" Seto said, impatiently.

"Fine then..." she said. "I'll place my Penguin Soldier on the field in defense mode. And also these two cards face down. Your turn."

"Took you long enough..." he muttered as he drew a card from his deck. Seto looked at his hand. He had Soul Exchange, Polymerization, Hitotsu-Me Giant (Att/1200; Def/1000), and 2 of his 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons (Att/3000; Def/2500). The card he just drew was Flute of Summoning Dragon. An evil grin slowly crept onto his face.

Sophia noticed Seto was a little too confident. 'What is he laughing about?' she thought. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"Wouldn't YOU like to know!!" he replied as he made his move. "I'll place two cards face down, and my Hitotsu-Me Giant in attack mode!"

'Hah...what a fool...' thought Sophia. 'He's actually attacking me...!' "Big mistake, Seto!" she said.

He looked a little confused. "Hm? What the..."

She revealed her face down card Block Attack. "I do believe that cancels out your attack. Sorry! Just be grateful it wasn't something worse."

Seto became very annoyed with this. '...Okay!' he thought. 'So she's better than I expected. She's still going to lose!' "I'll end my turn." He said.

"Goodie!" she chirped. "My move!" She drew the monster card Flame Champion (Att/1900; Def/1300). [A/N: I really do own this card! It's one of my faves, and you're about to see why...]. 'Oh wow! That was perfect timing!' she thought as she looked at her hand. One of the magic cards she was holding was Salamandra. 'With this little baby, my Flame Champion will have 2600 attack points. That's enough and then some to clobber most of his monsters!' [A/N: Flame Champion's attribute is Fire; I rest my case...!]

Seto was growing impatient again. "Quit stalling and move!!!" he shouted.

"Stop shouting," she said calmly. "I'm sitting 3 feet away from you. I can hear you just fine! I'm sacrificing my Penguin Soldier to summon my Flame Champion [5 stars], in attack mode. But wait! There's more!"

'There better not be...' thought Seto, now getting a bit nervous.

"I will also play the magic card Salamandra, which raises his attack power all the way to 2600!" She giggled. "Now who has the last laugh?"

"It's not over yet!!" he argued.

"Well, it might as well be," she said, "cause I'm attacking your Giant, taking your life points down from 4000 to 2600!"

"Argh!" Seto looked at his hand. 'I've still got my Blue-Eyes...it's now or never!' "It's my move!"

"Yah, yah. Sure." She said. 'I've got him beat!' she thought.

Seto drew his card. He glanced at it, and then he started to snicker again.

'What's his problem this time?' Sophia thought. She got a bad feeling about this. "Uh...what's up?" she asked.

He looked at her with his evil smile. "What's up is that you're about to lose, Sophia!! I'm playing Lord of Dragons in attack mode, and activating my face down card Flute of Summoning Dragon!!"

'O-kay...' she thought. 'That won't really do any good, unless he's got some kick-butt dragons...you don't think...'

"And the two dragons I'll summon are..."

Sophia lost her confidence. 'It's over!' she thought. 'I'm going to lose!! If I lose, my plan fails!!!'

End Chapter Three

Oh, yeah! You must HATE me!! I'm having fun playing with your minds! Bwa ha ha hah!! Just kidding! Ya gotta review if ya wanna know what happens! Ja ne!


	4. Duel!: Sophia vs Seto, pt2

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Did you enjoy my little cliffhanger? Aheh aheh heh!! Well, brace for impact! This is going to be a bumpy ride as we slowly glide to the climax of our exciting duel. (Which could end in this chapter...or the next, depending on my mood!!!! Mwa ha hah!!)  
  
"The outcome of this duel may yet surprise you..."—Sugoroku "Gramps" Mutoh  
  
"You think you know...but you have no idea!!"—From the movie "Drumline"  
  
Now let's get this show on the road!!  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own anyone/thing from Yu-Gi-Oh! and that's that! You know my OC's by now, so quit buggin' me!  
  
And with that...we begin!  
  
Chapter 4: Duel!!: Sophia vs. Seto, pt.2  
  
Sophia was shivering from fear as Seto threw down not one, but TWO copies of the most powerful dragon in Duel Monsters. 'It's not possible!' she thought. 'How did he get two Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards? It's just not possible!'  
  
Seto laughed maniacally. "Beat that! Where's your arrogant little smile now?!! Do you now realize you don't stand a snowball's chance in Hades of beating me?"  
  
Sophia was trembling more than a skyscraper in an earthquake. 'My plan...' she thought, 'my entire plan...flushed down the toilet! It's all over now...'  
  
Seto stared at her. She was beginning to cry. "Nani? Why are you crying?" he mocked. "What happened to all that confidence you just had? Don't worry, I'm not attacking you yet! That would spoil my fun!"  
  
Sophia was shocked. "S-s-so y-you're not g-going to wipe me out...?"  
  
"Hah! Heck no!" said Seto. "I'm just getting warmed up! Stick around, little girl! The fun's just beginning."  
  
Sophia drew a card. "I think I'll play this monster card, face down in defense mode." She said. "I'll also play this face down and end my turn..."  
  
"If I were you," said Seto, pointing to the field, "I would have switched my other monster into defense mode too!"  
  
Sophia looked at the field. Her Flame Champion was still in attack mode! "Oops..." she muttered. 'I'm toast! I made a costly mistake...I'm doomed!!'  
  
Seto drew his card. 'Yes!!' he thought. 'Just the card I needed! Now I'll show her never to mess with Seto Kaiba!!'  
  
Sophia saw his evil smirk. 'Oh no! I don't like that look on his face...'  
  
"It's over!" he said. "I play the magic card Soul Exchange, which allows me to sacrifice YOUR monsters to summon MINE!"  
  
'Perfect!' she thought. 'Now I've got no defenses!!'  
  
"And the monster I choose to summon is...Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"  
  
'NO!' she thought in surprise and despair. 'NOT ANOTHER ONE!! HOW?!'  
  
"Wait! I will also use the magic card Polymerization to fuse my three dragons into...BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!! MWA HA HA HA HAH!!!!!"  
  
"What in heaven is...!!!! Yikes!" shrieked Sophia.  
  
"Hmm...you lucked out, little girl." Said Seto. "Fusion monsters can't attack on the turn they were created. But next turn, I plan to wipe you out!!"  
  
Sophia began to cry. 'So much for THAT plan...' she thought. 'I thought if I could defeat Seto in a duel, I would gain his respect...but...' Then, she caught sight of a card she had face down the entire duel. 'Oh!!' she thought. 'If I play that...I could win...! Should I give it a try...?'  
  
End Chapter Four  
  
Nya ha ha ha hah!! Fear me, mortals!! I, Hikaru Hayashi, have made this chapter intentionally and ridiculously short to drive you all bananas!! I've decided...to end the duel in the NEXT CHAPTER!! You want the end of the duel...you must review!! I really enjoy keeping you in suspense!! Gomen! But ya gotta review. Ja ne!! 


	5. Duel!: Sophia vs Seto, pt3

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
This is it! The end of the duel!! Brace for impact...cuz you've got no clue what's about to happen! (actually, you might...I left so many obvious clues...)  
  
Disclaimer note: Alright, alright! I've wrote it a million times tonight! I DO NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh!! So don't sue me, ya hobo!! (Purposely rhymed)  
  
Now BEGIN!!  
  
Chapter 5: Duel!!: Sophia vs. Seto; pt.3  
  
"The End of the Duel"  
  
Sophia decided to play her trump card. 'I've got to!' she thought. 'I must! It's the only way I can defeat Seto!' She put her game face on an brushed off her tears. "It's over Seto Kaiba!" she said with confidence. "I win!"  
  
"...?! What?" said a confused Seto. "What are you talking about?" 'What's gotten into her?' he thought. 'Is she so depressed because she's about to lose, she thinks bluffing is going to help her? Is she just out of her mind? How pathetic!'  
  
In a fury, she quickly revealed her face down trump card. "I activate the magic card Change of Heart!!"  
  
"NO!!!" screamed Seto. "YOU CAN'T!!!"  
  
"Oh, yes I can!" she said. "With Change of Heart, I can control your Ultimate Blue-Eyes for one turn, long enough to take out your remaining 2600 Life points!!" She was excited. Seto was playing around with her, because he didn't take her very seriously. He hadn't even touched her life points; she still had all 4000, the exact attack strength of Ultimate Blue- Eyes. If she hadn't played Change of Heart, she would have lost for sure. Now, she was about to win.  
  
'This can't be happening!' he thought. 'I'm about to lose!!'  
  
"THIS is what happens when you mess with me, especially when I'm mad!" Sophia said while making a gunshot motion with her hand. "Now, DIE!!!"  
  
"Agh!!" Seto slammed his fist on the desk. "You...you..."  
  
"I know...!" she said, mockingly. 'All right!' she thought. 'Anytime now! Just admit I'm better.'  
  
What he finally shouted was not what she had expected to hear. "YOU MORON!!!!" He picked up his cards and stormed to his desk.  
  
"Huh?" she said, confused. "But, I just beat him! He should have more respect for me."  
  
"Sophia, girl!" came Riley's voice from next to her. "All you've done is make him angry. He's never gonna like ya now. As a friend, or anything! You've just guaranteed yourself a life-long rival."  
  
"..." Sophia was speechless. 'My plan backfired!!!!' She thought. 'Nooo! It's not fair...' She sat down in her desk in misery. She slammed her head on the desk. Just then, the bell rang. Class had begun.  
  
End Chapter 5  
  
This one's intentionally short too!! But face it! At least the duel's over. (If you liked the dueling, let me know, and I might do some more later.) Also, crap happens in the next three chapters, so stay tuned! The next chapter will be much longer, I promise you! Ja ne!! 


	6. The Wrath of Seto

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Hey there!! Brace for impact, cuz more action is comin' yer way! In this chapter, Sophia accidentally uses her weird powers in a weird way...and...Ack! Too many spoilers! Just read!  
  
Disclaimer note: Me no own cool people from Yu-Gi-Oh! like sexy Seto Kaiba and his dorky brother (who appears later). Me only own Sophi and Riley and Izumi and them. Yah!  
  
Let's start the show! (fic)  
  
Chapter 6: The "Wrath" of Seto  
  
        "Things Aren't Always What They Seem..."  
  
        Sophia sat in first period in misery. She did not calculate what would happen if her plan backfired. 'How could anyone be so cruel...?' she thought. 'It's almost like he has a heart of ice...or no heart at all! I don't understand...my plan was foolproof!' She got out her notebook and started scribbling for ideas again, but nothing came to her. 'Could it be that we're not meant to be friends...? Does he even HAVE any friends?!'  
  
Riley looked over at Sophia. 'Ah...' he thought. 'Poor fool...I don't think she knows who she's messin' with. She should have known it wasn't going to be easy to befriend Kaiba...and who'd want to?!'  
  
The bell rang to go to their next class. Since the three of them had most of the same classes, it was hard to avoid each other.  
  
Seto looked back at Sophia. "Why are you following me around, you idiot?"  
  
"Well, duh!" she said, trying to be cheerful. "We have the same class, hello?"  
  
"You think you're so smart, don't you?!" Seto said. He had a cross tone in his voice as he spoke.  
  
"Well, no..." Sophia said. "I was simply..."  
  
"Telling me what I already know!!" he shouted back to her. "I don't want you talking to me you..." He stopped suddenly.  
  
Sophia, in her nervous state, didn't sense the sudden chill. 'Uh-oh!' she thought. 'That chill only occurs when someone with magic powers uses them...so...oops...it was me!' She had subconsciously used her powers. She wondered what effect it had, until she noticed Seto with a very blank look on his face. 'Oh...I'd better unfreeze him...!!' she thought. 'I'm a freaking "Sabrina"!! Why do I have to be cursed this way?' She snapped her fingers.  
  
Seto came back to his senses. "...Ah! What the..."  
  
Just then, the bell rang.  
  
"You moron!!" he shouted as he picked up his book bag and started to run. "Thanks to you, I'm late for class!!" He darted off, leaving Sophia behind.  
  
'...Jerk!' she thought. 'I'm late too! Does he only care about himself?'  
  
  
  
        School went by slowly for Sophia. She was so relieved when the bell finally rang. 'Thank goodness I don't have practice today...' she thought. 'So I can just go straight home. I need the extra sleep...' She heard Riley's voice.  
  
"See ya tomorrow, Sophia!!" he said as he rode by on his Go-Ped, which was seemingly unnecessary, because a white Rolls Royce pulled up next to him.  
  
Sophia whistled. "Hmm...nice car..." she muttered.  
  
A young girl with long curly reddish-brown hair, about 9 or 10, jumped out of the passenger's seat.  
  
"Heya, Bro! How was school today?" said the girl, giving Riley a high-five.  
  
"Hey Abby!" Riley replied. "It was a'ight, I guess. How 'bout yours?"  
  
They got in the very nice (and expensive) car and drove off.  
  
'Hmm...' Sophia thought. '...Riley's sister? Maybe...I didn't think he had a sister...' She looked to her other side.  
  
On the other side, a black limo pulled up by Seto. A little boy with long black hair hopped out, giving Seto a big hug.  
  
"Nii-sama!! [Big Brother] I missed you today!!!" said the little boy.  
  
"I missed you too, Moki," said Seto, smiling.  
  
Sophia gasped. 'But he never smiles!!!!' she thought.  
  
"So how was your day at school, Seto?" the boy called "Moki" asked, curiously as they were getting into the limo.  
  
"You wouldn't want to know..." Seto replied as he suddenly noticed Sophia, giving her a cold glance. "How was your day, Mokuba?"  
  
The door closed and the limo drove off.  
  
'That boy needs to cut his hair...' thought Sophia, randomly. Then she giggled and skipped off on her way home. "So, Seto has a little brother..." she said to herself. "Maybe he's not as heartless as he seems! This may not be so hopeless after all. You still have a chance, Sophi! Go for it!"  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
End Chapter Six  
  
How was that? Stick around friends; the next chapter is going to be crazy! Until next time! Ja ne! 


	7. Strange Events

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Well, I promised some crazy stuff was gonna happen in this chapter, and I'm gonna try my best to deliver! Now let's get this show on!  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! You know what I do own. So quit pestering me...  
  
A quick note!—Sophia's parents are both doctors. Her dad, on top of being in commercialism, is a former brain surgeon. Her mother is a pediatrician, but helps out in the other departments as well. This fact, which I absentmindedly left out of their profiles, is extremely important to this chapter! Now...  
  
Let the Frenzy begin!  
  
Chapter 7: Strange Events  
  
        "Crap Happens..."  
  
        It was finally the weekend. Sophia planned to spend most of her free time on her computer, checking e-mails her friends back home sent her, or chilling out in her swimming pool (the water polo team had a competition next week). She woke up that morning. "It's Sunday..." she muttered to herself as she stretched her arms. "I could either, check my mail, throw on my swimsuit and go for a dive, or waste my time trying to think of ways to get Seto to like me...which ever one I choose...it's not going to help my grumpy mood."  
  
Her phone rang so she pulled herself out of bed to answer it. "Hello, this is Sophia."  
  
"Yo! Sophia! It's me!" came Riley's voice.  
  
"Riley...?" she said. "You're up early. What gives?"  
  
"Sophia...look out your window..." he sounded secretive, but Sophia heard him chuckling.  
  
She walked to the window and looked out into the blinding morning sun. "Agh! The sun..." she muttered. At first, she didn't see anything. Then, she heard a car horn and looked down to see Riley in the drivers' seat of a 18-wheeled, sun-sparkling, newly polished, white SUV limo.  
  
He looked up at Sophia's bedroom window, cell phone still in his hand, and waved.  
  
Sophia stared with her mouth hanging open. She could not believe what she was seeing.  
  
"So?" came Riley's voice over the phone. "Whatcha think? Sweet, ain't it?"  
  
"How are you...are you really...?" Sophia said, so surprised, she couldn't even find the right question.  
  
"I think ma plan ta cheer ya up worked!" Riley chuckled. "I don't wantcha mopin' over that fool Kaiba, all right? Sophia?"  
  
"Riley..." she started, with a very amused look on her face. "Can you really drive that thing...?"  
  
"Yeah!" he said. "Illegally! I don't got ma license yet."  
  
"That's it! I'm hanging up!" She walked back to put the phone up.  
  
"Ah, well..." said Riley before putting his dark shades on and driving off.  
  
Sophia suddenly felt a chill [A/N: If ya don't remember, see the last chapter]. 'Uh-oh!' she thought. 'Not good...' She ran back to the window just in time to see Riley spin out of control.  
  
"Agh! I'm gonna crash!" shouted Riley. "HELP!!" His SUV limo crashed into a tree, hard. It was instantly flattened into a compact.  
  
"Oh no!! Riley!!" Sophia screamed as she put on her house shoes, ran onto her balcony and jumped off onto the sidewalk (landing on her feet). She ran to the crash site. 'Ooh! I hope he's all right!' she thought as she tried to dig him out of the wreck. She heard a moan.  
  
"Ooo...OW! MA LEG!" came a voice from inside the car wreck.  
  
'Riley...!' she thought. She had regained her hope, now that she knew her friend was still alive. "Riley! Are you all right?" she called.  
  
A hand stuck up from the rubble and Riley pulled himself from the wreck. His clothes were torn and he had scratches all over him. Blood was dripping from the side of his face. "Does it even remotely LOOK like I'm alright?!" he said.  
  
Sophia pulled out her cell phone to call an ambulance. 'That was scary!' she thought as she was dialing the number. 'Accidents like that don't just happen...and I felt that chill...there must be someone out there with magic powers like me! And it seems like they're up to no good!'  
  
"Aw, nah!!" Riley moaned. "I don't have a license, not ta mention I'm not insured!! This is gonna cost a FORTUNE!!! Aw!! I am so grounded..."  
  
"If I were you Riley," Sophia started, "I wouldn't worry about the car, I'd worry about your condition and the medical bill."  
  
"If that was a joke..." Riley started to say just as the ambulance pulled up.  
  
        Sophia was taking a stroll through the park to get her mind off of what had happened to Riley that morning. 'If there is someone else with powers,' she thought, 'then they probably know I'm here and they probably know about me! And since they got Riley, what's to stop them from going after Izumi...or Seto!!' Just then, Sophia heard Izumi calling her.  
  
"Oi! Sophia!!" she shouted. "Ohayo gozaimasu!! [Good Morning!]"  
  
Sophia turned around. 'Oh no!' she thought, annoyed. 'That Anzu girl is with her...why are they friends?'  
  
"Hi Sophia!" Anzu chirped. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Bad, thank you!" Sophia replied sarcastically, making Anzu a little upset.  
  
"You don't like me much, do you?" she asked suddenly.  
  
Sophia gave her a blank stare. 'She's just now figuring that out...?!' she thought.  
  
"If you don't like me, why didn't you just say so?" Anzu asked coldly.  
  
Sophia stared at her. She had had it with Anzu's slow reactions and her obvious logic. "'Cause you're the type that would run away and cry if I said the exact words, 'I hate your guts'. But I'm gonna do it anyway!! I HATE your guts, you naïve little brat! There! Now, how are YOU feeling?"  
  
Tears came to Anzu's eyes. She ran away crying.  
  
"Hey...that wasn't nice, Sophia," Izumi said, giving Sophia a glare before running off after Anzu.  
  
Sophia shrugged. She started to walk away, when she felt that chill again. 'Oh! Izumi!' she thought. She ran in the other direction to catch up to Izumi. On her way, she'd barely dodged getting hit by a tree. "Eek!" she shrieked as he ducked to avoid it. The tree kept falling, almost hitting Anzu on the head. 'Good for her...' Sophia thought.  
  
"Anzu! Look out!" came Izumi's voice as she ran up to her and pushed her out of the way.  
  
'NOOO!' Sophia thought as she was getting up.  
  
The tree hit Izumi instead, knocking her to the ground.  
  
Sophia ran to her friend, who had a tree crushing her arm and was half- unconscious. "Izumi! Say something!!"  
  
Anzu crawled over to Izumi. "Izumi, daijoubu? [Are you alright]"  
  
Izumi giggled weakly. "Hai, I'm okay...it's just a scratch..."  
  
Sophia pulled out her cell phone and called an ambulance. 'This is the second time!' she thought as she was dialing. 'Bad things usually happen in threes...I'd better find Seto before anything happens to him!'  
  
"Hello, may I help you?" came a familiar voice on the other end.  
  
"MOM?!" she shouted. "What're ya doin'?!"  
  
"I'm helping!" she replied.  
  
"My friend is hurt..."  
  
"We are on our way!" replied Mrs. Carmichael. The line ended. She knew what she had to do next. "Anzu..." she said.  
  
Anzu looked up. "Huh? What is it?" she asked.  
  
"I need you to look after Izumi for me!" she said as she ran off.  
  
'Be safe, Sophia...' Anzu thought.  
  
        Sophia ran across the town as fast as she could. She kept having to stop to save people from accidents, like cars swerving off of the road, and people trapped in burning buildings that were burning for no reason at all.  
  
She kept running until she got to the lake. 'There are a lot of people here today,' she thought. 'I gotta find Seto!' She was starting to think he was at his place, when she caught sight of someone who could tell her where he was.  
  
It was his brother, Mokuba.  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
How's that fer ya! The next chapter is going to have a weird twist and I don't think you wanna miss it. Ja ne! 


	8. Accident at the Lake

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Heya! I'm back. Ya wanted it, ya got it: the next chapter! May I remind you that you have no idea what's about to happen.  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own them, the people from Yu-Gi-Oh, I mean. I only own my characters. Get it? Now scram.  
  
O.K! Let's hit it!  
  
Chapter 8: Accident at the Lake  
  
        Sophia walked up to Mokuba to ask him if he knew where Seto was. "Um, excuse me...?" she said.  
  
Mokuba turned around. "Huh?" 'Who's this girl?' he thought.  
  
"Hi." She said. "Um, I'm looking for your brother. Could you tell me where he is?"  
  
"I'm sorry," said Mokuba, "but do I know you?"  
  
"No, you don't," she replied. "um, I'm a classmate of your brother's. Do you know where he is right now?"  
  
Suddenly, it seemed as though she rang a bell. "Ah!" said Mokuba. "Then you must be that annoying evil girl Sophia!! Yeah, Seto told me about you!"  
  
'Annoying evil girl...!!!!' Sophia thought, shocked. 'I can't believe he said that!'  
  
"Yeah, okay..." said Mokuba. "I know where he is."  
  
"That's great!" She shouted. "Could you tell me where he is?"  
  
"I don't think Nii-sama wants to talk to you." Mokuba replied. "This morning, he said we were gonna go to the lake and have a picnic and just take a day off. And he said if YOU showed up, not to tell you where he is and to just mind your own freaking business. (Except it wasn't exactly that, but you get the idea...)"  
  
"He said WHAT?" Sophia shouted. "But this important! I really need to talk to Seto!!"  
  
"I don't think Nii-sama likes you calling him by his first name," said Mokuba. "Only I'm allowed to do that."  
  
Just then, they both spotted Seto walking towards them.  
  
"Uh-Oh..." said Mokuba. "Um, Sophia, right? (What a funny name!)"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I think you should leave." Mokuba said to her. "You're nice, but you're very annoying. And I don't want Nii-sama to be angry; today is one of his good days! If he sees you, he'll be angry! You should leave. I don't want Nii-sama to yell at you."  
  
"Well sorry, Mokuba was it?" Sophia replied as she stood her ground. "I'm standing right here! If he doesn't want to listen to me, I will make him listen! This is very important."  
  
'She's stubborn...' thought Mokuba. 'I wonder if she's a Taurus? I read that once a Taurus makes a decision, there's no changing their mind. Maybe that's why her and Nii-sama don't get along, 'cause he's a Scorpio...' Mokuba ran to his brother to try and distract him. "Hi, Nii-sama!! How's it goin'?"  
  
"Hello Mokuba," Seto replied. He noticed Mokuba was acting a little strange. "Mokuba, what's wrong?"  
  
"Uh, Ah! Nothin's wrong!!" he replied as he tried to jump in front of Sophia. "Yep! Everything's A-O.K! There's no one here! Uh-huh! There's absolutely no annoying girl who wants to talk to you!" [A/N: We all see where this is going, right?]  
  
Seto looked up and saw Sophia. "Argh!! You again?!" he shouted. "You're stalking me, aren't you?"  
  
"Seto! Please! I have to talk to you!!" Sophia said.  
  
"No!! Leave me alone!!" Seto shouted as he stormed off.  
  
"Wait! Nii-sama!" Mokuba called after him. "Aww...see what you did?" he said to Sophia before running off after his brother.  
  
'Aw, perfect!' Sophia thought. 'I'll never find him in this crowd. Guess I'd better start lookin'!' She pushed her way through the crowd of people. 'There aren't as many people here as I thought! I think I saw Seto and his brother heading for the dock. Maybe they're gonna take a boat out on the lake...that would be so cool!'  
  
She caught sight of them walking along the dock. 'Should I call him?' she thought. 'He might just run off again if he knew I was following him, but I can't let anything happen to him! Whoever's out there has already gotten Riley and Izumi; I can't let him get Seto too!!' In her hurry, she didn't notice that there was nobody at the dock except for the three of them.  
  
She suddenly felt that chill. 'Oh...' she thought. 'Not good...what now?' She kept walking towards Seto and Mokuba, when she suddenly noticed a fog started to roll in, and the dock was slippery. 'It shouldn't be so wet,' she thought. 'Someone could get hurt...'  
  
Mokuba shivered. "Nii-sama, it got cold all of a sudden..." he whispered.  
  
"...You're right...!" Seto replied.  
  
Mokuba grabbed his brother's arm. "Nii-sama! I'm scared!!" he whined.  
  
"Daijobu, Mokuba," Seto said in a comforting voice. "As long as I'm here, you don't have to be scared..."  
  
Sophia felt that chill again...  
  
Mokuba slipped on the dock's slippery surface and fell into the water. "Nii- sama!! Ta-suke-te!! [Big Brother!! Help me!!]" he screamed, grabbing Seto's arm while falling.  
  
"Mokuba!!" he shouted as his younger sibling dragged him down too.  
  
The two brothers fell into the depths of the lake.  
  
"NOOOOO!!" Sophia shouted as she ran to where they fell [A/N: Not slipping herself, I might add...] She knelt down and called their names. "Mokuba!! Seto!! Can you hear me?" Nothing. It didn't look too good.  
  
About 2 minutes after that, Mokuba resurfaced, coughing and looking frightened. He was about to get pulled under again, when he looked up and saw Sophia, reaching her hand to pull him out.  
  
"Are you okay, Mokuba?" she asked as he quickly grabbed her hand and she pulled him out.  
  
"...Uh...Uh-huh...!" he stuttered, happy to be back on "dry" land. [A/N: the dock is soaking wet...]  
  
Sophia heard coughing and looked up just in time to see Seto pulled back under.  
  
"So...So-phi-a..." came Mokuba's stuttering. "Nii-sama...! He...he...can't...swim...! Save him...! Please..."  
  
Sophia looked down at Mokuba. He was beginning to cry.  
  
"Please..." said Mokuba. "I don't...I don't want to be alone...Seto is all I have...! Hurry...I don't want Nii-sama to drown...!"  
  
Sophia felt like crying herself. She had no idea. "Don't worry about it, Mokuba!" she said, reassuringly, as she prepared to dive in. 'Looks like I'll be swimming today after all!' she thought.  
  
She dove into the lake. The water felt cold and hard, as though she were diving into ice. She almost felt like giving up...'No!' she thought. 'I promised Mokuba! I promised would save Seto!' She dove under the deep, cold water.  
  
End Chapter Eight  
  
Nya ha! Aha ha hah!! Yes! FEAR ME!! Now the biggie question: Will Sophia be able to save Seto from drowning? Find out...next chapter! (Aw, yeah! If ya didn't hate me before...) Ja ne! 


	9. Rescuing Seto

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
This is the edited version of Chapter 9: "Rescuing Seto". Please remember that my fic is AU, so some of the things I came up with on my own.  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own them...the Yu-Gi-Oh people, I mean. However, ya know who I do own, so leave me alone!  
  
Let the frenzy begin!  
  
Chapter 9: Rescuing Seto  
  
Sophia dove under the cold water. She fought her way deeper, and deeper. It got to the point where it was so deep she could not see where she was going. But that didn't matter to her. 'I've got to save Seto!' she thought.  
  
Mokuba sat up on the dock and watched. He was so nervous he resorted to biting his nails. "I hope she can save him..." he muttered. 'Sophia,' he thought as he stood up and started pacing the dock, 'you better know what you're doing, you idiot!' Around him, the spooky fog started to clear up. 'I wonder where that came from, anyway,' he thought. 'It was perfectly sunny this morning.'  
  
It had been almost five minutes. Mokuba had no more nails to bite and his feet were sore from pacing. He was almost sure he'd worn a dent in the dock from where he was pacing, not to mention having holes in his already soaking wet socks. He sat on the edge of the dock and looked into the lake. 'If I don't see them,' he thought, 'I might have to resort to biting off strands of my hair!' He couldn't remember a time where he was more stressed out than right now. 'Oh! Please be okay, Nii-sama!!' He was just about to give up hope, when...  
  
Sophia finally resurfaced. She swam to the dock carrying Seto, who was unconscious and not breathing. "Hey, gimme a hand Mokuba!" she shouted.  
  
"You found him!" Mokuba shouted. "You moron...! You scared me to death!"  
  
"I can hold my breath for almost an hour if I have to," said Sophia as Mokuba helped her pull Seto out of the water. 'And he sounds like his brother calling me a moron...' she thought.  
  
Sophia pulled herself onto the dock. She picked up her purse, which she had conveniently dropped before she dove into the lake. She pulled out her cell phone and was about to call an ambulance, when she heard Mokuba shouting.  
  
"Hey! Sophia! There's something wrong with Nii-sama!!" he shouted.  
  
'Yah, no DUH!' she thought, but went over anyway. Just to prove to Mokuba that his brother would be fine, she picked up his wrist...and noticed his pulse was absent. 'Okay!' she thought. 'That is NOT good!' She tossed Mokuba her cell phone.  
  
"What am I 'sposed to do with this?" he asked as he caught it.  
  
"Call an ambulance, you dork!" she shouted back. 'I should thank my mom for making me pay attention her stupid CPR classes!!' she thought.  
  
Mokuba, in the meanwhile, dialed the number. 'She shouldn't have called me a dork,' he thought. The other line picked up.  
  
"Hello, may I help you?" came a very kind lady's voice.  
  
"Um, hi," Mokuba started. "um, my brother fell in the lake."  
  
"Oh, goodness," said the lady. "Is he alright?"  
  
"Um...if he were, I don't think that silly girl Sophia would have given me her phone to call you."  
  
The nurse on the other line suddenly seemed interested. "Did you say Sophia?" Then the nurse asked, "Her last name is Carmichael, right?"  
  
"Yeah!" said Mokuba. "She's silly, but she's the one who saved my brother... HEY!!! WHY ARE YOU JUST TALKING?? MY BROTHER NEEDS HELP! GOT IT?!?"  
  
"All right!" said the nurse. "Tell me really quickly, is your brother's name Seto?"  
  
"YES!!" Mokuba shouted, frustrated. "NOW GET DOWN HERE!!!"  
  
The line ended. The nurse on the other line giggled a little. She then became really serious and went to alert someone about the call.  
  
Sophia was becoming frustrated. "Wake up, darn you!!" she shouted at Seto, still unconscious. 'I don't think I can help him...' she thought. 'I was too late...how am I gonna tell this to Mokuba...' she started to cry. Suddenly, she felt that chill again. It wasn't like last time. It was different. 'Was it me again...?' she thought. She brushed it off and was about to give Mokuba the bad news, when she heard someone moaning. '...Seto?' she thought. Then she heard coughing. 'Hey, he's okay...!' she thought.  
  
Mokuba ran back to where Sophia and his brother were. "Well?" he called as he was running. "Is he alright?"  
  
"Yes!" Sophia shouted happily. "But if you don't stop running, you won't be." 'It looks like I wasn't too late after all!' she thought. A sudden thought crossed her mind. "Um, Mokuba?" she asked. "Would you mind telling me...I mean, I should think...well..."  
  
"Let me guess..." Mokuba interrupted. "You want to know why Nii-sama and I can't swim."  
  
"Well...uh...yeah!" she said, surprised that Mokuba guessed it.  
  
"...I guess I can tell you." Mokuba said, then he whispered, "But don't tell Nii-sama I told you. He'd be upset."  
  
"Okay!" Sophia whispered back.  
  
"All right." Mokuba said. "You see, it started when we were younger. You're a smart girl, you probably already figured out that Seto and I are orphans."  
  
Sophia felt her heart jump. "Um, I'm sorry Mokuba." She said quietly.  
  
"Thanks," he replied. "Anyway, every weekend, me, Nii-sama, and some of the other boys at the orphanage would be allowed to go to the lake! I only went because the lake was really pretty and it was a cool picnic spot. It was also a great place to swim, even though my brother never did. He would just watch me to make sure I stay out of trouble. You following me?"  
  
"Uh-huh," Sophia replied. "Go on..."  
  
  
  
"Well, the thing is," Mokuba continued, "I've always liked the water, but I've never been a very good swimmer, so when I would swim in the lake, I would stay in the shallow part. Now, one thing you should know, is that the other boys at the orphanage weren't too nice...they would always pick on me. Luckily, Nii-sama would always show 'em whose boss!"  
  
Sophia giggled a little at this.  
  
Mokuba went on: "Well, one weekend at the lake, some of the bullies thought it would be amusing to drag me out into the middle of the lake, where it's deepest, and watch me struggle. So they did. It was one of the worst experiences in my entire life. I remember one of the boys shouting to Seto, 'See if you can get your brother out of this one, you dork!' And, being my cool protective big brother who promised to look after me, Seto jumped into the lake to help me. You know how my brother gets...."  
  
Sophia nodded.  
  
"I remember him shouting, 'I'm coming, Mokuba!' right before he jumped into the lake. In his hurry, Nii-sama forgot that he wasn't all that strong of a swimmer himself, so when he got to the middle of the lake, and his feet didn't touch the bottom, he began to panic. The next thing I knew, we were both drowning! The last thing I remember was looking up and seeing the water close over my brother's head. Then I screamed. Then...everything went dark."  
  
"I remember waking up later...much later. It must have been at least an hour, but it might have been less...I was a little kid and couldn't keep track of time very well. I remember a friendly voice, a girl...about my brother's age, I think...maybe a little older. She said, 'Hey, you're okay. I'm so happy...' then she left and came back with a man who was much older than her. She said it was her uncle and that he was the one that saved us. The man said, 'You boys are lucky I came by when I did! You could have been fishbait.'"  
  
Sophia became slightly amused with this comment, but said nothing.  
  
Mokuba continued the story: "When the man said this, I remembered Nii-sama. I sat up and looked around. I was in a bed in the room of a...house, a cabin, I think. A little way across the room, I saw another bed and someone was lying in it...it was Nii-sama! His eyes were closed and his breathing was labored...and he looked pale. The man saw me looking at my brother and said, 'Your friend wasn't quite so lucky as you were. It seems he swallowed too much water. He's become quite ill.' My heart sank. The girl noticed my discouragement and said, 'Don't worry, he'll be fine. He just needs some rest.' I felt a little better after she said that. But, still...after that, my brother and I never went back to the lake. My brother became afraid of the water and I decided never to swim again!"  
  
  
  
Sophia remained silent after Mokuba finished the story. 'They must have gone through a lot when they were little,' she thought. 'I mean, having no parents and all...that's probably why they turned out the way they did...Mokuba being so dependant on his older brother, and Seto being so protective of his younger brother...'  
  
"So," Mokuba sighed. "That's it. That's the whole story. But remember, you can't tell Seto I told you! Got that? We never had this conversation!"  
  
Sophia couldn't help smiling. "My lips are sealed, Mokuba." She said.  
  
On the ground beside them, Seto stirred.  
  
Mokuba crawled over to him. "My brother's coming to!" he said, relieved. "Nii-sama...? Can you hear me?"  
  
  
  
Seto slowly opened his eyes. He felt weak and cold. At first, his vision was a little blurry, then he saw someone who looked like Mokuba. "...M-Mo-ku- ba...?" he stammered, weakly.  
  
"Nii-sama!!" Mokuba shouted. "You're okay!!"  
  
"...Wha...What happened?" Seto asked.  
  
"We fell in the lake and you drowned!" Mokuba said. "And that stupid girl Sophia saved you."  
  
"Wait...who...? Sophia...?" he stuttered.  
  
"Yes?" she replied. "You gave us all a scare Seto. I thought you'd died for sure!"  
  
"Hey..." he started. "What are you..."  
  
"I saved you!" she said. "You probably want me to leave now, so..." she stood up and began to walk away, when she heard sirens. 'Oh, NOW the ambulance shows up!' she said. She kept walking, though slowly, as if she were waiting for something. Whatever she was waiting for didn't happen.  
  
"Um, Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked. "Aren't you going to thank her for saving your life?"  
  
Seto looked up at his younger brother.  
  
He looked pale and weak, but Mokuba still noticed the look on his brother's face that says 'Are you kidding me?'. Mokuba grinned playfully. "I'm guessing that's a 'no', huh?" he asked.  
  
Seto smiled weakly and nodded.  
  
  
  
End Chapter Nine  
  
How did you like the edited version? Was it better? Did it explain things a little more clearly (Cameron...!)? Well, in any case, that's it. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can post the edited Chapter 11...and CHAPTER 20! Ja ne! 


	10. Sophi's Dream

By Hikaru Hayashi

This is the first fic I've written to go into double-digit chapters! I've finally reached the 10-chapter mark in at least one fic! I'm so happy!! Anyway here's CHAPTER 10 of my marvelous fic. I hope you guys are having as much fun reading this as I've had writing it!. You needn't worry...I am far from the end of this fic; we've got a long way to go before the end. (I do think this is going to be well over 20 chapters...) I just thought I'd say a few things in reaching the 10-chapter mark for the first time in my career!

My Chapter 10 Disclaimer Note: For the tenth time this story I will proclaim to the world that...I DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH!!!!! So there! (Morons...) I only own Sophia and them, so, yah. Also, a new character appears in this chapter...I own them too, but that's all!

Can I mention that this is also the first fic I've written that's gotten over 20 reviews? And it's all thanks to you wonderful readers! Domo Arigato!! I hope you all continue to review. Anyway, here it is!

Chapter 10: Sophi's Dream

"An Unknown Enemy Revealed"

Sophia sat in her room that night, trying to take in all the action that had happened earlier. She got out her diary (she writes in it every night) and recorded the strange events of that day. 'A lot happened today...!' she thought. 'I thought Riley crashing his limo was strange enough...but then that tree falls on Izumi and Seto almost drowns. Which reminds me...what did I do to help him? I was pretty sure he was dead...'

Someone knocks her door. "Come in," she said.

Her mother walked into her room. "May I have a word?" she asked.

"No problem," said Sophia as she hurriedly shoved her diary under her pillow. "So how's Izumi, Mom?"

"Well," she started, "You're not going to believe this, but her arm wasn't even broken! It was just a minor sprain. She should be back in school tomorrow."

"Cool! How lucky!" Sophia exclaimed. "What about Riley? Is he alright?"

"Yes!" Mrs. Carmichael said. "He was lucky he wasn't killed in that accident. He should be out of the hospital by tomorrow as well."

"Already?" Sophia asked. 'His injuries looked serious to me! Now that's what I call a miracle!' "Um, okay!" she said. "If that's all you can leave..."

"Hold on, Sophi," said her mother.

'Uh-oh...' Sophia thought. "What is it?"

Her mother smiled. "You can stop keeping secrets from me now."

"Secrets?" Sophia asked nervously. "What secrets...?"

Her mother came and sat on her bed next to her. "I know about your friend Seto," her mother said calmly.

"Wha...who....I don't know who you're...HEY!!" Sophia shouted while she started to blush. "MOM!! Have you been reading my diary again?!?"

"Yes! Guilty!" said Mrs. Carmichael, innocently.

"MOM!!!! WHAT'S THE POINT OF KEEPING A DIARY IF YER JUST GONNA READ IT ALL THE TIME!!"

"Well, you don't talk to us anymore," her mother said, pouting. "I just want to know what's going on in your life, that's all."

"...Hm!" Sophia was a little upset. "Y'know, I'm not a little kid anymore."

"That's why if your having friend problems, or boyfriend problems, please feel free to talk to me about it," Sophia's mom said reassuringly.

"And..." came a new voice, Sophia's dad, "If your 'boyfriends' are givin' you trouble, feel free to talk to me, an' I'll beat the tar outta 'em!"

"Daddy!" Sophia giggled. "I'm fine. I don't need you to beat the tar out of anyone!"

Mrs. Carmichael stood up and looked cross. "Rick, don't you think that's over exaggerating a bit?"

"Trust me, honey," Sophia's dad said while punching the palm of his hand with his fist, "By the time I'M done with 'em, there won't be any tar left!" [A/N: Quote courtesy of my little cousin]

"Daddy, I'm fine, trust me!" Sophia said, still giggling.

Mr. Carmichael said something to his wife, who then she left the room. "All right, Soph," he said. "I need to talk with you."

"All right, I'm listening." She said, sitting back down on her bed.

"Well, earlier, I got a report about a young girl with your description who illegally used her powers this morning. You have any idea what that means?"

"I don't think it was me, Daddy." She said. "At first I thought it was but..." 'Oh, wait!' she thought.

"If you didn't know, then I have no reason to ground you. All right!" Mr. Carmichael said while walking out of the room. "Just don't to it again, okay?" He left the room.

Sophia realized just then what she did. 'I hope Daddy doesn't find out I did something really bad...I think I used my powers to bring Seto back to life! I could get my powers taken away for that...! ...Ah! Good riddance if I do!' She plopped her head on her pillow. "I never asked for these stupid powers anyway..." she muttered. She was quiet for a minute or two. Before falling asleep, she muttered again, "I wish Seto wasn't so stubborn! You would think he'd at least thank me for saving him...!"

Sophia woke up and found herself in the park. "Well, that's weird," she said. "I thought I was in my room...Oh! I get it! This is a dream. Okay then, I'll play along!" She started walking when she heard a strange voice.

"Heh heh! Sophia! It's me!" Said a voice.

"Hey! It sounds like an old friend of mine!" Sophia said, surprised. "Okay, Annie, come out."

A tall girl with shoulder length blonde hair came out from behind a tree. "So you recognized me. How surprising."

"But it's weird though!" Sophia said to the girl. "Annie, why would you be in my dream? I haven't seen you since I was in the 3rd grade. You are three grades older than me."

"I came to warn you." Annie said mysteriously. "An evil force is after you, and they'll do anything to break you. Someone who's been jealous of you her whole life is coming for revenge. Do you know who this person is, Sophia?"

"Oh, so it's a girl, huh?" Sophia said. "Okay, I don't know any girls who would be jealous of me, I mean, I'm nothing special."

"Don't be so naïve!" Annie shouted at her. "You don't even have to try to get people to notice you! I always have to use my powers to cause some kind of mischief. That's how people notice me, and that's why I've got a criminal record back home. That's why I followed you to Japan. Do you get it now?"

Sophia stared. "...No...! It couldn't be...!"

"IT'S ME! HA HA HA HA HAH!!" Annie walked over to Sophia and put her arm around her shoulder. "Do you remember the little 'accidents' with your friends, Sophia? I caused those accidents! Did you enjoy watching your friends suffer?"

Sophia pushed away from Annie. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "I never did anything to you!"

"It's not what you did, Sophia," Annie started, "It's what you DIDN'T do! You didn't talk to me! Just like everyone else! And I trusted you..." Annie got a sly look on her face and giggled.

Annie's giggle sent chills down Sophia's spine. 'Yeech, she's starting to get creepy...Look, just leave me alone, okay?"

"If you like, I can make sure your friends never get out of that hospital. In fact, I could make it so they never see the light of day again!"

"You leave them alone, Annie!" Sophia shouted angrily. "They haven't done anything to you!!"

"Hmm...I wonder?" Annie said thoughtfully. "Which one of them should I get rid of first...? I know! How about that boy Seto?"

"ANNIE!! LEAVE SETO OUT OF THIS!!!!!!" Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Ooh! Temper!" Annie giggled evilly. "It looks like I struck a nerve. You DO have feelings for him, don't you?"

Sophia looked at her old friend in a new light. She no longer saw sweet Annie Roberts. She saw someone completely different. "You're not Annie!!" she said to her.

"Well," she started. "I am. Just not the Annie you remember. Would you look at the time!" she said while looking at a watch. "Well, I've gotta jet. But before I leave I want to ask you a favor."

"I'm not doing you any favors," Sophia said coldly. "We're not friends anymore. I refuse."

"Oh?" Annie asked, in a quizzical tone. "You don't have a choice. That is, unless you want to see your friends and classmates killed one by one..."

Sophia gasped. "You wouldn't!!"

"Yep! I would. It's only a small favor."

"I'm not stealing anything!" Sophia shouted.

"Come, come!" Annie said. "It's nothing illegal. We'll talk about it in the park tomorrow when you get out of school."

"Um...okay, I guess..." Sophia stuttered, shivering from fear and anger.

"And don't forget either!" Annie said sternly while walking away. "'Cause I'm only giving you one chance to get this right. If you forget, you can kiss one of your friends goodbye!"

"Leave them alone!!" Sophia growled.

"And I've already picked the perfect person to get rid of!" Annie laughed maniacally.

Sophia became even angrier as tears came to her eyes.

"Come, come!" Annie cackled. "He doesn't like you anyway! I should think I'd be doing you a favor! Nya ha ha ha hah!!"

"Annie, I swear!" Sophia shouted, her voice choked with tears. "If you so much as lay a finger on Seto, I will personally be responsible for putting you out of commission!!"

"Yeah, that's nice dear!!" Annie chuckled as she slowly started to disappear. "Toodles! Aha ha hah!!"

"Annie, you evil whore!! Leave Seto alone!!!!!" Sophia woke up shouting. She was trembling like crazy and sweating bullets. When she looked around and realized she was awake, she was relieved. She threw her head back on her pillow and sighed. "Just a dream," She muttered. "Just a dream...just a dream...just a dream..."

"Sophia, darling are you all right up there?" came her mother's voice.

"Yes Mom! I'm fine!" she lied.

"Oh, well hurry up dear, you'll be late for school."

'What?!' Sophia thought, confused. She looked at her clock. The time read 7:09. "Oh, shoot!!!" She shouted as she quickly hopped out of bed to get ready for school.

End Chapter Ten

Well, I'm sure that probably put things into a brand new perspective, huh? What did you think? Crazy? Confusing? Tired of my cliffhangers? Think I should change the rating? Answer these questions...in your review! Ja ne!!


	11. Annie's Scheme and Seto's Feelings

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Okay my cool fans of this fic—I'm a little sick today. : You'll probably be able to tell I tried to type this as fast as possible. But my being sick is not getting in the way of me updating this story for you lovely readers!! ; )  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own it! I own quite a few things in this story...but the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters are not mine!!  
  
Let's find out what happens now, shall we?  
  
Chapter 11: Annie's Evil Scheme and Seto's True Feelings  
  
Sophia ran to school as fast as she possibly could (which is pretty fast). She got to her homeroom class just as the bell was ringing.  
  
"Well, look who slept in today!" Came a greeting from Riley, who was walking around on crutches.  
  
"I'm surprised you decided to show up today Riley!" Sophia joked. "I mean, after what happened yesterday."  
  
Riley gave Sophia a glare. "I only came to get away from my dad!" He whispered. "He's still a little steamed about the car...Speakin' of, what happened to Kaiba? He doesn't seem like his usual jerky self."  
  
"That's a long story..." Sophia started to say when she heard another voice calling her.  
  
"Hey Sophia! How's it goin'?"  
  
Sophia turned around to see Izumi with her arm in a cast. "Izumi! You're okay!!"  
  
"I told you it was just a scratch!" she replied. "I'm fine!"  
  
Sophia beamed with happiness. 'I'm glad my friends are okay!' she thought. She went to her desk and sat down. She then heard muttering coming from the desk next to her.  
  
"Darn, she showed up after all...just my luck..."  
  
She turned to the desk next to her. "Good morning, Seto."  
  
"Hm! Good for you maybe..." he muttered, not paying attention to her.  
  
"So?" she said. "Are you ready to thank me now?"  
  
This time he looked at her. "Thank you for what?" he asked.  
  
"Well, duh!" she giggled. "For saving you!"  
  
He stared at her. Then he turned away and muttered, "Feh! I would have rather drowned..."  
  
Sophia became angry. "Now see here you!" she shouted.  
  
"Sophia!" came Kumogata-sensei's voice. "Lower your voice and sit down please! (Before I give you detention!!)"  
  
"Sorry..." she said before sitting down.  
  
Seto chuckled.  
  
Sophia glared at him, then turned to the front of the room. "Ungrateful little brat..." she muttered, purposely loud enough for Seto to hear her.  
  
Seto stopped laughing. "Whatever..." he muttered.  
  
  
  
The rest of school went by rather quickly, quicker than Sophia would have liked. When it was time for school to be out, Sophia slowly crept out of the building. She had remembered her deal with Annie. 'Something's gotta be done about Annie!' she thought.  
  
"See ya tomorrow, Sophia!" came Riley's voice as he limped by and hopped into his Rolls Royce, once again greeted by his younger sister.  
  
"Bye, Riley!" She called back. 'I'd like to meet his sister someday...' she thought.  
  
"Hey, Sophia, right?" came a familiar voice.  
  
Sophia turned around. "Mokuba, right?"  
  
Mokuba smiled. "You remembered my name!"  
  
Seto walked right by Sophia, purposely bumping into her.  
  
"Yah, hello to you too..." she muttered sarcastically. "Jerk..."  
  
Seto heard her comment, but chose to ignore it. "Hello, Mokuba."  
  
"I'm still surprised you decided to come to school today, Nii-sama!" Mokuba said. "You're still not well, ya know." He stopped walking and ran back to Sophia.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked.  
  
"Nii-sama wants to say thank you for saving him," Mokuba replied. "He's just too stubborn to admit it, though."  
  
"Well, thanks anyway Mokuba, but I'd much rather have your brother tell me himself."  
  
"Then you'll be waiting a long time," Mokuba said. "See you later!" He ran off to catch up to his brother.  
  
Sophia sighed. 'Seto's brother is so sweet! It's hard for me to believe they're related!' She started walking towards the park. 'For everyone's sake, that better have been just a dream...' she thought. When she got to the park, she saw Annie sitting under a tree. 'Shoot!!' she thought.  
  
Annie looked up. "Well, well!" she said. "You showed up after all. I was beginning to think you weren't coming. How's my old friend?"  
  
"We're not friends anymore, Annie," Sophia said coldly. "Now what do you want?"  
  
Annie stood up and walked over to Sophia. "Oh, nothing much." She replied slyly. "I just need you to act as a witness. If you see me committing a crime I just need you to cover for me. I didn't do it! Understand?"  
  
"I can't do that Annie!" Sophia shouted. "That would be lying!"  
  
"That's the point!" Annie cackled. "I need you to lie for me so I stay out of trouble with the law. I'd like to stay in this country for as long as I can. I kinda like it here!"  
  
Sophia glared at Annie. "I can't lie for you Annie."  
  
"Even if it puts your little boyfriend in danger?" Annie said, with mock sympathy. "I can harm him right now if I wanted to."  
  
"You wouldn't!"  
  
Annie laughed. "Remember our little bargain. I'm innocent, and your friend is safe. Got it?" With this, she flew off [A/N: Pretty much literally...]. "Don't forget now!" were her parting words.  
  
Sophia was devastated. 'I don't know what to do!' she thought. 'I can't lie for her. If she does something illegal, I have to turn her in to the authorities. But if she's true to her word, she could seriously hurt Seto! What's a poor girl to do?'  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, at the Kaiba mansion, Seto sat in his library trying to do his homework. Something was distracting him from studying. He had been stuck on the same question for almost half an hour. 'Argh! I can't concentrate on my studies...' he thought. 'It's all because of that girl Sophia! That stupid...' Seto sneezed. "Ah-choo! Agh! Stupid cold..." he muttered.  
  
"Nii-sama!" came Mokuba's voice in the hallway. "Daijobu?"  
  
"I'm fine!" Seto shouted back. 'I wish I were fine...' he thought. 'For some weird reason, I keep thinking about that annoying girl Sophia...even though she is kind of nice...and she did save me from drowning...and I guess she is kinda cute...Nan da!! What am I thinking?!?' Seto got up from the table and walked over to the window.  
  
Outside, the stars were sparkling and even though there wasn't a full moon out, it illuminated the night sky brighter than ever. There were also fireflies hovering around outside the library window.  
  
Seto felt a tear roll down his cheek. He sighed. "That must be it, then..." he muttered. "I don't know how or why, but there's no other explanation...I think I'm in love with Sophia...!"  
  
  
  
End Chapter Eleven  
  
And I end the chapter just as things get interesting!! Bwa ha hah! I tried not to use a cliffhanger this time, but that's just how I write! Gomen nasai! But you all know my policy! Ya want the next chapter...ya gotta review. Ja ne! 


	12. Failed Attempt

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Sorry this one took me so long (a mixture of a busy weekend and my sister monopolizing the computer...! >.) Anyway, I know a few of you liked the end of my last chapter, so let's continue this story. If any of you are still wondering where this is going (with Annie and everything), you'll find out soon enough! ; )  
  
Disclaimer note: Seto Kaiba does not belong to me!! (Though I desperately wish he did...!) Neither does anyone else from Yu-Gi-Oh! who happens to appear in this fic!  
  
Author's Note: I can't remember who it was, but I had someone complain about Sophia's last name in a chapter (I referred to her mom as "Mrs. Carmichael"). It was just a name off the top of my head, but just remember that her parents' first names are Rick and Jenna. I'll be using them from here on out in case the "Mrs. Carmichael" bugged anyone else. Also, I've decided to change the rating for later chapters. I realized some of the content in later chapters is not PG material...so...::winks:: None of you would rat me out, right? I am allowed to change the rating for later chapters, right? 'Cause if I am, next chapter, I'll change it. I want to be very careful, I don't want to lose another story!  
  
And that, my friends, is that. Now let the story continue!  
  
Chapter 12: Failed Attempt  
        "Not So Easily Said...!"  
  
        Sophia woke up the next morning with a strange feeling. 'Something bad might happen today...' she thought as she was dragging herself out of bed to get ready for school. She slowly put on her uniform, then picked up her book bag and crawled downstairs.  
  
"Good morning sleepy head!" her father replied as he saw his daughter slinking down the stairs.  
  
"Hi Daddy..." she muttered sleepily. 'One more hour...' she thought. 'Is that so much to ask!?' On top of being tired and lazy, she was also still concerned about Annie. She also had water polo practice that night and possibly a ton of homework. She had a lot on her mind, but felt a lot better when her dad offered to give her a ride to school. "You'd do that?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Rick said as he picked up his jacket and car keys.  
  
"Yay! I get a ride to school today!" shouted Sophia, happily. 'Then I don't have to deal with stinking Anzu on my way to school!' she thought. Her dad opened the car and she hopped in, no longer feeling depressed, but still concerned. She realized her car ride didn't change the fact that something had to be done about Annie.  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        Sophia got out of the car when she arrived at school. She waved to her dad before he drove off, and then walked through the doors, where Izumi was waiting for her. [A/N: How Izumi got to school before Sophia (and she had to walk) is unknown...]  
  
"Hey," she said to Izumi. "How's it goin' for you?"  
  
"I'm okay..." Izumi replied. "Anzu missed you today on our walk to school."  
  
'And I thought she finally got it through her thick skull that I don't like her!!' Sophia thought, annoyed.  
  
"Ya wanna walk to class with me instead of going by yourself this time?" Izumi asked.  
  
"Sure," Sophia replied.  
  
The two friends walked to their first period class.  
  
        Meanwhile, Seto was already in the classroom. He was sitting at his desk staring out the window. 'What a nice day!' he thought, for no apparent reason at all. He heard the door opening and turned to see Izumi and Sophia walking into the classroom. He quickly turned around so Sophia wouldn't see him blushing. '...Sh-should I talk to her...?' he thought.  
  
"Hey Riley!" Sophia said, giving her usual morning greeting to Riley.  
  
"'Sup?" Riley replied, lazily leaning back in his desk.  
  
Sophia sat at her desk and attempted her usually complicated morning task: "Hello Seto," she said.  
  
Seto jumped a little. "Um...h-hello..." he managed to say, not looking at her.  
  
Sophia was amazed. 'Whoa...did he just reply?' she thought. 'He replied with something other than "whatever"...wow! I don't believe my ears!' Instead of acting surprised, she decided to be sly about it. "Omigod, NOW you're talking to me?" she said, sarcastically. "How amusing."  
  
Seto turned and stared at her, immediately regretting that he did. Instead of giving her his usual cruel remarks, he was suddenly speechless.  
  
Sophia was startled by Seto's blank stare. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked him. "I was only playing around...hey...what's wrong Seto?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm fine" is what he wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the words didn't come out. 'What...why can't I talk?' he thought. 'Why can't I say something? And why the heck can't I keep from staring at her...?'  
  
Sophia began to get a little concerned. "Seto, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" she asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should go see the nurse."  
  
'...She's touching me...!' Seto thought as his face went scarlet. He felt his heartbeat getting quicker. The air in the room seemed thick, and he felt as though someone had turned the heater up all the way. "Um...I...I..." he stammered, barely able to breathe, let alone speak. Seto fainted as he collapsed to the floor.  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        "Kaiba-san...? Kaiba-san? Kaiba-san! Wake up!" said a voice that sounded remotely like Kumogata-sensei. Seto opened his eyes to see half the class crowded around him. "...Huh? What happened?" he asked as Kumogata- sensei helped him sit up.  
  
"Daijobu, Kaiba-san?" asked Sensei. "You had us all worried there."  
  
"Whaddya mean 'what happened'?!?" shouted Riley. "You were out cold fer like, ten minutes, man!!!"  
  
"What?!" Seto said, startled. "Where..."  
  
"You're in the nurse's office," Sophia's voice answered his question before he even asked it.  
  
He looked in her direction. She looked as though she had been crying.  
  
"The nurse was just about to call the hospital if you hadn't come to," she said.  
  
"Hey," he started to ask, "why are you crying?"  
  
Sophia suddenly became angry. She marched through the crowd of students straight up to Seto, and slapped him. "You scared me you jerk!!!" she shouted.  
  
A startled Seto rubbed the side of his face. "Nan da?! Why did you hit me?" he shouted.  
  
Sophia didn't answer. She stormed out of the nurse's office, slamming the door behind her. She walked to her next class. "I'm so glad he's alright..." she said to herself.  
  
Seto hopped out of the bed he had been lying in and walked to the door. He opened it just in time to see Sophia walking off to class.  
  
The nurse walked up to him. "You should lie back down," she said to him. "you're still not well."  
  
Then, suddenly, Seto sighed and said to no one in particular, "She's very pretty, isn't she...?"  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
End Chapter Twelve  
  
Heh, heh, heh...::winks:: I think we all know what's coming next. Don't worry...I'll tell you this much: Annie will be stopped, I just don't know how yet! Go figure, huh? But right now, all you have to worry about is reviewing. Ja ne! 


	13. Way Too Conspicuous

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Yo! Chapter 13 is comin' at ya! Just a quick note, I'm changing the rating for later chapters! Actually, it might be effective this chapter, I don't know. None of you guys would rat me out, would you? I am allowed to do that, right? 'Cause I'm doing it! I won't get in trouble, will I? I really don't want to lose another story...!!  
  
Disclaimer note: (I'm so sick of these...but unfortunately, I don't own Yu- Gi-Oh!, so what must be done must be done...) I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Which means I don't own any of those cool hot people like Seto Kaiba...::sobs:: Oh, woe is me!!  
  
Now, let's continue the story!  
  
Chapter 13: Way Too Conspicuous  
"Annie Foils Her Own Plot!!"  
  
It was finally the last class of the day. Sophia, however, was not as enthusiastic about practice after school that day. 'I have to make sure Annie's not plotting something evil...' she thought. 'Also, I wonder if Seto is alright? I mean, he did just collapse in the middle of class...maybe Annie had something to do with that...!' She just knew she had a lead. 'I don't think I'm going to practice today!' she thought. 'They'll just have to see me tomorrow!!'  
  
As soon as the bell rang, and class was out, Sophia ran to the park to find Annie.  
  
"Well, hey there!" Annie said. "You're just in time to watch the craziest bank robbery in history...!" She pulled out 5 bags of money. "Pretty soon, they're going to realize they've been robbed. Gosh, people on this planet are so slow!"  
  
Sophia was steamed. "Annie, give it back!!"  
  
"No!" Annie replied. "What fun would that be?"  
  
That was the last straw for Sophia. "Fun?!" she shouted. "You think this is a game???"  
  
"Well, sure!" Annie said as the giggled evilly. "Life's a game. And if you won't play it, you don't deserve to live."  
  
Sophia stared at Annie coldly. "What did you do to Seto earlier?"  
  
Annie, for once, looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about..." she replied, hotly.  
  
"Well, ya should!!!" Sophia shouted.  
  
"I haven't harmed your little friend!" Annie said. "Maybe it was YOU, because I haven't done a thing to him...yet..." Annie couldn't help cackling after that.  
  
"...You're really serious, aren't you?" Sophia asked, now confused. 'Then, what in the...what's going on here?!' she thought. 'If Annie didn't hurt him, than what in the blazes is going on???"  
  
"Well, gotta jet!" Annie said. "I gotta stash this money so I don't get found out."  
  
Just then, they heard sirens coming their way.  
  
Annie quickly gathered up the money. "Okay, I've gotta jet! You remember our deal, right?" she said as she began to run off.  
  
Sophia tripped Annie with her foot and held her hands behind her back, causing her to drop the money. "Deal's off, Annie," Sophia said.  
  
"Then," Annie started, "I'm afraid I have no choice..."  
  
"What are you gonna do?" Sophia asked. "I've got your hands."  
  
"Heh! Fool," said Annie. "I don't need my hands..."  
  
Sophia felt that chill, just as she turned around. Seto just happened to be taking a walk through the park. 'No, you idiot!' Sophia thought. 'Run away!'  
  
"You let me go..." Annie said. "Big mistake!" She started to run, when she felt Sophia grab her shirt collar.  
  
"You're staying right here, Annie!" She said.  
  
Annie sighed with mock remorse. "Then..." she started.  
  
"Hey, what the devil's going on?" came a random police officer's voice.  
  
Seto looked up. He saw Sophia holding Annie's shirt collar, and police officers running in their direction. 'Sophia...' he thought. 'Is she in trouble...? She...she might need my help!' He ran towards them.  
  
Sophia heard someone shouting her name. She turned around to see Seto running towards them. "No!!" She shouted. "Seto! Run away!!"  
  
"So, THAT'S Seto?" Annie said mischievously.  
  
Sophia didn't like the tone in her voice. "Annie...don't..."  
  
"Why? You went back on our deal! So..."  
  
Sophia felt that chill. 'Oh no...' she thought. 'Seto...'  
  
Seto felt a sharp pain in his chest, and stopped dead in his tracks. "Ah...!" he gasped as he clutched his chest. "What the...?" he said. He felt lightheaded and short of breath. 'Why do I feel...so...dizzy...?' he thought.  
  
Sophia began to get angry. "What did you do to him...?!" she asked.  
  
Annie just cackled maniacally. "I can do worse than that! I could KILL him if I want!"  
  
Angry tears came to Sophia's eyes. "You wouldn't!!"  
  
"You're right!" Annie said, to Sophia's surprise. "I wouldn't. I'll just torture him a bit...!"  
  
Seto felt the pain in his chest getting worse. He collapsed to his knees and moaned. "Ooh...it hurts...!!"  
  
Sophia whined. "Annie! You're hurting him!! Stop it!!"  
  
Annie cackled. [A/N: She cackles too much...she is ee-vile, isn't she?]  
  
Sophia felt that chill again.  
  
Seto gasped for air. 'I...can't...breathe...!!' he thought as he felt himself slowly falling into unconsciousness. He collapsed to the ground. "So...Sophia...help...!" he tried to say, though practically inaudible.  
  
Sophia let go of Annie's shirt collar and fell to her knees, crying.  
  
Annie cackled loudly and maniacally. "Ha hah! I win!" Just at her victory moment, she felt a handcuff slapped around her wrist. "Aah?" she turned and looked at the cop who was now staring her dead in the eye. "Uh...listen, officer," she started. "I can explain..."  
  
"Yeah," replied the officer. "Like heck you can. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can (and will) be used against you."  
  
Suddenly, Annie pointed at Sophia on the ground and shouted. "She did it!! It's her you're after, not me!"  
  
"Then how do you explain the moneybags in YOUR hands?" the officer asked.  
  
"She framed me!" Annie lied.  
  
"Then, explain her SCHOOL UNIFORM." The officer asked in the form of statement. "According to our data, the robbery took place at 2:30 this afternoon. At 2:30, this young lady would have been in school. She couldn't have committed the robbery."  
  
Annie nervously continued to lie. "She ditched!!"  
  
"That I highly doubt...besides, with all the cackling you did, it was pretty conspicuous that you were up to no good." The officer said as he cuffed Annie's other hand and lit a cigar. "You're coming with me. We're taking you into custody." The officer dragged Annie away.  
  
Annie angrily shouted at Sophia. "This isn't over, Sophia!! I WILL get out of jail!! And I WILL get even!! You hear me?? EVEN!! REVENGE!! ARR!!"  
  
"Yeah, that's what they ALL say," the officer said as he shoved Annie into the back seat of a police car. "How would you like to take a little car ride, Miss?"  
  
The police car carrying Annie, and five bags of stolen money, drove off with the siren blasting.  
  
Sophia looked up, amused. "Hah! Saved by a school uniform..." she muttered. "I LOVE these stupid uniforms!!" She stood up and ran over to Seto, who was still unconscious. "Seto! Seto, wake up!" she said.  
  
Seto opened his eyes. "...Ugh...dizzy..." he muttered. "...Sophia...?"  
  
Sophia let out a sigh of relief. "Good! You're okay..." she said as she help him sit up.  
  
"Are you..." he started. He then thought, 'Oh...she's touching me again...um...'  
  
Sophia pinched him.  
  
"Ow...what the..." he said.  
  
"That's so you don't pass out again," Sophia said, smiling. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"  
  
"I'm fine..." he said as he stood up and began to walk away. He turned back to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
"Oh! Phsst! Yeah, I'm fine!" she giggled. "That was nothing. Well, see you in school tomorrow!" she started to walk off.  
  
Seto watched her walk away, then suddenly shouted back to her, "Hey, wait! Sophia!!"  
  
She turned around. "Yah, what is it?" she asked.  
  
"...Um...it's nothing..." he called, a little upset.  
  
"Oh, well okay." She walked off.  
  
Seto walked over to a nearby streetlight and punched it. 'Darn!' he thought. 'Why couldn't I tell her...?! Am I...afraid...?' He brushed it off. "Hah! Of course not!" he said to himself with mock confidence. "I just...oh, who am I fooling...I guess I'd better be getting back home..." he said to himself. He turned back one last time. "Sophia..." he sighed. "If only you knew how I felt about you...if only you knew how much I really love you..." He turned around and walked home, feeling lonely.  
  
  
  
End Chapter Thirteen  
  
How was that for ya! I think you know what I'm getting at...! ::winks:: Heh heh! Well, anyway, for now, review. Ja ne! 


	14. Spring Fever

By Hikaru Hayashi

I made a few small changes to this chapter, because I'm still editing. In case it helps anyone, I wrote in the argument between Sophia and Seto. So here's the edited version of Chapter 14: Spring Fever.

Disclaimer note: He's not mine!!!!!! Neither is anyone else!!!! Waa-haaa!!! [Need I say more? You all know who I'm talking about...]

With that small note, we now begin. Let the story continue!!

Chapter 14: Spring Fever

"Riley the Matchmaker"

With Annie out of the way for now, Sophia could finally get back to concentrating on her schoolwork. She was starting to fall back in her History class. "History was never my best subject..." she muttered.

Riley, who overheard her muttering, thought to himself, 'Hmm...maybe I can help Sophia with her History, since we're in the same class and everything. It'll be a favor between friends! (Then later on today, I'm gonna ask Izumi-chan if she wants ta go on a date with me...!)' Riley began to walk over to Sophia, when he noticed Seto, who had been staring at Sophia since she walked through the door. Riley snuck up on him and muttered in his ear, "You like her, don't you?"

Seto jumped. "Ah! Don't scare me like that, Riley!!" he shouted.

"Wha? I'm just statin' the obvious..." Riley said. "You have a crush on Sophia, don't you?"

Seto's face went scarlet. "W-what? No!! I don't..."

"Then, why the heck are you blushing? Hm?" Riley said.

"...Uh..."

"Go talk to her, fool!!" Riley said. "Come on! I KNOW ya wanna! Go offer to help her with her history homework or somethin'..." Then Riley noticed his error. 'Wait a minute...' he thought. 'That was MA idea!! Why am I givin' ideas to a smart-aleck bum who's afraid to talk to a girl?? Ah, I guess it won't hurt...I could play matchmaker for a while, just long enough to get them together...heh, heh...!' "Well, see ya!" Riley said as he walked to the other side of the room. "I'm gonna go talk to Izumi-chan, maybe she needs help with something...heh, heh...!"

Seto shot Riley a look behind his back. "...Pervert..." he muttered.

"Agh!" shouted Sophia, banging her head against her history book. "I'm never gonna catch up!!"

Seto noticed she was having a bit of trouble. '...Should I help her?' he thought. '...No! I can hardly look at her without blushing...but she is a little behind in that class and could use some help, so...' He stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. "Um...Sophia...?" he said.

Sophia looked up. "Huh? Oh, hey Seto. What's up? Are you feeling better today? I mean, your face is red..."

Seto looked alarmed. 'Am I...blushing...?' he thought. '...Well, that's embarrassing...!!'

Sophia tried to do more of her work. "Agh! I can't understand this stuff...I'm gonna have to repeat the class...Argh! My parents are gonna kill me..." Then, she noticed Seto was sitting next to her.

"Here, let me help you..." he said calmly, despite the fact that he was trembling.

Sophia stared at him. 'Is he being...NICE!?' she thought. "O-okay," she replied as she started to blush.

Riley looked at them from the other side of the room and just smiled. "Mission#1—Operation "Homework": Successful!"

The bell had rung to go to lunch. Riley found this a perfect "matchmaker" opportunity. 'A'ight! Now's my chance!' he thought. He ran up to catch up to Seto. "Yo, Kaiba!" he shouted.

Seto turned around. "Wow, now you're talking to me all of a sudden!" he said, with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey, we're still rivals, ya hear?" Riley said. "Don't be thinkin' anything else! Look, there's Sophia!" he said, pointing in her direction. She was with Izumi and some of her friends. [A/N: Riley and Seto are rivals. If you don't remember why, see Chapter One, Riley's Character Profile.]

"...And...?" Seto asked, quizzically. "Your point is?"

"So!" Riley replied. "Go talk to her. Y'know, ask her if she wants ta have lunch with you. I mean, you DO usually sit by yourself..."

Seto stared at Riley, blushing madly. "I...I can't do that!" he said.

"Sure ya can!" Riley said, trying not to laugh. "Look, I'll even help ya out. YO! SOPHIA!!" Riley called.

Sophia turned around. "Oh, hey Andrew...whoops, I mean, Riley!"

"Right!" Riley said as he walked over to Sophia, dragging Seto along with him. [A/N: Pretty much literally...]

Izumi turned to her other friends. "Hey, don't tell Sophia, all right?" she said. "But, I heard this rumor that Kaiba-kun has a mega huge crush on her! (And all this time, I thought it was Sophia with the crush!)"

Izumi's friends giggled playfully. "Don't worry! We won't tell!" one of them said.

"Hey, Kaiba wants to talk to ya, all right?" Riley said as he slowly started to back away. "A'ight, Kaiba! It's all you!" With this, Riley gave Seto a pat on the back and strolled off with a huge grin on his face. 'If this doesn't work, I don' know what will!' he thought.

"So?" asked Sophia. "What's up, Seto?"

Seto blushed. "Um...I...I was just..."

Izumi's friends giggled. Izumi thought, 'Wow, I didn't know Kaiba-kun was so shy...'

"Um...I was...wondering...um..." Seto said, shyly. He was looking at the ground. "Sophia...would you...would you mind having lunch with me? I mean...! If you don't want to..."

Sophia had a huge smile on her face. 'Does this mean he likes me...?!' she thought happily. "Okay, Seto!" she chirped. "I'll sit with you!"

Seto blushed madly and smiled as he took Sophia's hand. The two of them walked off together.

Izumi's friends giggled. "Wow! Look at them!" they said. "The two of them are so adorable together!" "They make a really nice couple!" "Aww...kawaii!!" "Was he just SMILING?" "I wish Kaiba-kun would talk to me..."

Izumi just stared in utter confusion. She didn't say a word.

Riley sat on the grass. "Mission #2—Operation "Lunch": Successful!" he said to himself as he picked up a soda can. 'I wonder if Izumi-chan would sit with me...' he thought.

The bell rang to go to their final class. Riley once again walked up to Seto. "Hey, Kaiba, you and Sophia are in different classes now, huh? You could offer to carry her books for her or somethin'."

"Why the heck are you bothering me?!" Seto said, annoyed. "Cut it out, Riley."

"Hey, this is for your own good," Riley replied. "I'm only tryin' ta help YOU."

Seto glared at Riley.

"That is, unless," Riley started, "ya don' want ma help, and the nice girl will never know you really like her. Come on, man! Give it a try."

Seto sighed. "I give up..." he muttered. "Fine! I'll do it."

Riley grinned. "Good. Start talkin' 'cause she's right behind us!"

"...She's WHAT?"

"Hey Riley! Hey Seto! What's up?" came Sophia's voice from behind them.

"It's all you, man!" Riley whispered. "Heya, Sophia."

"...Uh...Hi, Sophia..." Seto said, shyly. I...um...walk you to class...? I mean...! If you don't want to..."

"Okay!" she replied immediately. She grabbed his arm. "Thanks for being so nice, Seto!" Sophia said. She couldn't help but giggle when she noticed Seto blushing.

The two of them walked off.

Riley looked satisfied. He turned and walked to class. "Mission #3—Operation "Hallway": Successful! Hmm...I should find Izumi-chan. Maybe she'd let me walk her to class too..."

The final bell rang. School was out. While walking in the hallways, Sophia happened to run into Seto. "Oh, hey there, Seto!" she said.

"Hi...Sophia..." he said. "Um...did you need a ride home or something...? I mean...! If you don't want...."

"Oh, you silly boy!" Sophia giggled. "Of course I'd like a ride!"

'Whew...well, at least Riley won't be bugging me about this one!' Seto thought. Suddenly, he heard Sophia say, for no apparent reason, "Y'know, Seto, defeating you in that duel wasn't as tough as I thought it would be!"

Seto stopped dead in his tracks. "W-Wha...what did you just say?!"

Sophia noticed that he no longer sounded like the suddenly nice Seto who had been kind to her the entire day. He sounded like the Seto that she first met when she moved there...the jerk Seto. She turned and said, "Oh, give it a rest, alright? Besides, it was just a stupid game, right? I mean, it's not like if you won things would be different. I think you just like to show off."

This made Seto angry. "Well, for your information, little girl," he started, "I just happen to be one of the best duelists in this pathetic little town...so there! You have no idea who you're messing with here."

"You don't have to be competitive, "Sophia argued. "Being the best isn't always better. I think you're just being arrogant."

By now, Seto had lost his temper. "Ooh...that was the last straw...you...you little..."

"Aww...the big mean jerk is at a loss for words...!" Sophia teased. "What are you going to do? Run home to your mommy? Oh, that's right! Mokuba told me...you don't have a mommy! Poor pathetic fool..."

"You're the fool, you insolent little brat!" Seto shouted.

Sophia was stunned. "Wha..." she said.

"You are nothing but one of those snobby girls who likes to get their way all the time!" Seto continued. "If things don't work out the way you want, you whine and cry as if it's going to change something! But it won't! You are a brat and you know it!"

"Not true..." Sophia muttered as tears were coming to her eyes.

"See! You're crying now. I was right!" Seto said, with a glare of satisfaction. "Well, crying's not going to change this!" Seto turned around and walked away.

"Wait!" Sophia shouted. "Seto! Come back! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Seto didn't look back. He didn't respond. He didn't even acknowledge her existence. He just kept walking.

Sophia let the tears stream down her face as she screamed angrily, "Fine! Be that way, you jerk!!!" She turned around and ran.

Izumi and her friends were standing in the hallway. They had seen the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Riley, who had just walked through the door and out of the building, thought, 'Maybe I could get Kaiba to take Sophia home...that would help their relationship a little...!" He hopped on his Go-Ped. He was about to ride off, when Sophia stormed by him and almost knocked him over. "Whoa! 'Sup? What happened?"

"Oh, sorry about that, Riley..." Sophia said in a low, monotone voice. She sounded a little angry.

"Uh, I guess he didn't ask to take ya home...?" Riley asked.

Sophia glared at Riley. She looked as though she had been crying.

"I guess this was a bad time to ask ya that?" he asked, a little stunned.

"I could honestly care less if he ever talks to me again!!" she shouted before stomping away.

"Okay! Fine! Be that way!! Moron!!!" came Seto's voice.

Riley turned around. "Why didja yell at her, man?" he asked, confused. "I mean, earlier, you guys looked pretty happy? What happened, man?"

Seto didn't answer. He didn't even look at Riley or acknowledge his question. He just turned around and walked off.

Riley heard him muttering something that sounded like, "Ooh! The nerve of her...silly baka girl..."

Izumi and her friends ran up to where Riley was. "Wait! Kaiba-kun! Come back!" shouted one of them. "Yah!" shouted another. "She didn't mean it!!"

'Aww...poor Sophia...' thought one of ya'll PLEASE tell me what the heck is goin' on?" Riley asked, confused.

"Sophia and Kaiba-kun got in a fight..." replied one of the friends. "...I don't think they'll ever speak to each other again..."

"But, what HAPPENED???" Riley moaned. "I worked HARD ta get the two of them together!!"

Izumi looked at Riley. "I think it had something to do with...well, she mentioned the duel they had a few days ago. She said 'Ya know, Seto, you were kinda easy to beat. I didn't think it would be that hard.' And that made him real mad and he said that she wouldn't be able to defeat him again in a million years. And then she said that she could and told him to stop being a jerk. Then he said that he wasn't being a jerk and that she was acting like a snob saying that she could beat him again. And then SHE said that he was just being arrogant, which made him angry and he called her a bad name, then she called HIM a bad name and that was that!! The rest is history."

Riley stared off into space. 'Dangit, Kaiba, why do you have to be so competitive and arrogant????' he thought. 'You mighta just lost the only friend you'll ever have...!!!' Riley sighed. "Looks like I can classify Mission 'Matchmaker'—Failed...!"

Riley hopped on his Go-Ped. 'I've gotta find Sophia and talk some sense into her! She might have forgotten how mean Kaiba could be, and that's probably why she said that stuff. I gotta find the both of them and convince them it was all a misunderstanding. Otherwise, I don't think I could live with myself!'

End Chapter Fourteen

Yeah! You didn't think it was gonna be THAT easy, did you? This is Seto we're talking about here! Well I know ya want to know if they get back together. To find that out, you have to review (and sorry about the cliffhanger...!!) Ja ne!!


	15. Cherry Blossoms

By Hikaru Hayashi

Here is the edited version of Chapter 15: Cherry Blossoms. I thought I would add a little story to each character's point of view. Well here it is. Also, I asked a friend who knows more Japanese than me and she told me "sakura-tachi" means cherry blossoms (she said "-tachi" makes the word plural).

Disclaimer note: (I am really sick of these!) If ya want a lawsuit on me, just remember that I don't own anyone/thing that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh!! You are familiar with my OC's by now, so...

Without further delay, let the story continue!

Chapter 15: Cherry Blossoms

"Kokoro no Seto"

Instead of running straight home like she would have originally done, Sophia ran to the park. She sat down under a tree and cried. "Stupid jerk..." she muttered. "I almost forgot how stubborn he really is...jerk!!" She remembered her mother's words, "If you have any problems at all, feel free to talk to me..."

"Should I really waste my breath telling my mom about this?" Sophia asked herself. Something fell from the tree and caught her eye. She looked up. " she said. "Cherry blossoms..." At first, they really didn't catch her interest. 'Nothing special...the fireflies are starting to come out too...so, big deal...' she thought as at least twenty fireflies appeared and lit up the evening.

"Well, the scenery is really pretty..." She said to herself as she recalled something from when she was little, about 4 or 5...

She was playing in the same scenery. She had been to Japan once before, when she was very little. She remembers playing with a friend, when they had an argument over their game.

"Look, Sophi!" said her friend Keiko. "It's my turn to play with the jump rope!"

_Sophia who was a very spoiled little girl, shouted, "No! It's still my turn, Keiko! You just have to wait." _

_Keiko became upset, but said nothing. It was hard for her to believe that she was Sophia's friend. After all, they argued over everything and Sophia was always really bossy. _

_A few minutes later, the fireflies began to appear. _

"_Ooh! Pretty!!" Sophia squealed, never having seen a firefly before. _

_Keiko, who enjoyed evenings in the park, asked kindly, "Can I play with the fireflies too, Sophi?" _

"_NO!" Sophia screamed. "You have to wait your turn Keiko! How many times do I gotta tell you that?" _

_By now, Keiko had become angry. She'd had it. She was tired of being bossed around and told to wait her turn, when she knew it would never be her turn. As she started to cry, Keiko shouted at Sophia: _

"_You always tell me to wait my turn! Well, why don't you wait for a change! I've had it with you Sophi. I don't wanna be your friend anymore!!" _

_With this, Keiko ran off. _

"_Hm...okay..." Sophia said in a haughty tone. "Be that way then." _

As Sophia was recalling this memory, she remembered her family had left for home the next day. She never got the chance to find Keiko and apologize.

Sophia was suddenly hit with a feeling of guilt. "Oh my god..." she whispered. "What have I done...? I was so careless...I was being bratty, wasn't I?!" She jumped up and ran though the park. 'I've gotta find Seto and apologize...!' she thought.

Seto stood near the pond in the middle of the park and stared at the water blankly. "...Hmph! Silly baka girl..." he muttered under his breath. "I can't believe she said that crap...I should never have listened to Riley and his farfetched ideas, otherwise I wouldn't be in this mess!"

As Seto stared at the pond, he realized he was more confused than angry. 'Well, that's odd! I really don't know what to do...should I apologize, or should I just leave it alone...?' he thought. He came to a conclusion: "I'll just leave it alone..." he muttered as he started to walk away. Just then something caught his attention. He stared at the little pink petals in the water. "...Hm...sakura-tachi?"

As he stared at the petals on the pond, he was reminded of something from his early childhood. He was around 3 or 4. Mokuba wasn't even born yet...

It was around sunset. Seto looked over the fence into the yard of the next house over. A new family had moved in and they had a daughter about his age.

_The girl had never played with a boy before, let alone had she ever talked to one. So she decided to introduce herself. _

"_Hello there!" said the little girl. She had rosy pink cheeks dark brown hair and green eyes. She also had freckles. "Hello there!" she said again. "Can you hear me?" _

_Seto looked up. He had never spoken to a girl before and girls never talked to him. Actually, nobody did. He was practically a loner. "Oh, you were talking to me?" he asked almost sarcastically. "I had no idea." _

"_You think you're funny, don't you boy?" the girl asked. "My name's Keiko. What's yours?" _

"_It's Seto," he replied simply. "And I wasn't trying to be funny. You could have been talking to yourself for all I know. Now go away and play with your dolls, or whatever it is that girls do." _

"_Hey, that's not very nice, Seto," Keiko answered. Then she started giggling. _

_This startled Seto. 'She's laughing?' he thought, confused. "Hey, what's so funny, girl?" _

"_Tee hee hee! Your name!" Keiko giggled. "I like your name. It's cute!" _

_Seto didn't like the idea of having his name called "cute". "Oh...yeah?!" he said, taking this comment as an insult. "Well, I think your name is dumb! What did you say it was again...Keiko, or something?" _

_Keiko giggled again. _

_Seto, red from anger, shouted, "Now what's so funny?!" _

_Keiko smiled cutely. "I like you!" she said. _

_Seto's anger suddenly disappeared. He was now more surprised than angry. "Uh...! You...do?" he asked. _

"_Mm-hmm! Yep!" she said, nodding her head. She jumped off of the fence. "Don't be a stranger, Seto!" she shouted back. "Come visit me sometime. Ja ne!" _

_Seto blushed as he watched Keiko walk off. As flattered as he really was, he said to himself, "Feh! Girls are stupid..." _

That was the first time he had ever talked to a girl. It was also the first time a girl ever said she liked him.

Another thought came to his mind...

It was a year later. Keiko's family was moving. Seto watched as the movers came to help load the furniture. Keiko stood on the lawn holding a teddy bear. She was crying because she didn't want to move.

"_I don't wanna move!" she shouted. "I wanna stay here!!" _

_Seto watched Keiko as she threw a tantrum. "Feh...silly girl..." he muttered. _

"_Keiko! It's time to leave," said Keiko's dad. _

"_Okay..." she sighed. She turned around and looked at Seto, who was sitting up on the fence. She had a sad remorseful look on her face. "Sayonara, Seto!!" she cried. _

"_Feh!" he muttered. _

_Keiko got into the car. As the car was driving by, Keiko looked back at Seto with that sad look. She seemed sad that Seto didn't even take the time to say good-bye. _

_As the car drove off, Seto just watched. He didn't even wave. He realized that he had hurt her feelings, but he really didn't care. He was almost happy she left._

The sun had almost gone down. The fireflies were beginning to come out. They illuminated the pond brilliantly. In the distance, the sad song of the evening cicadas could be heard.

Then, it hit him. Seto had realized, that same look on Keiko's face when she left...was the same look on Sophia's face as he walked away. It was then that he realized he had hurt Sophia's feelings, just like he hurt Keiko.

Seto was suddenly overcome by a surge of emotion. "...Oh, Sophia..." he sighed as tears came to his eyes. "I'm so sorry...!" He could not explain what had just happened. 'Whoa...' he thought as he wiped his tears away. 'I've never felt this way before...I guess this means...I still have feelings for her...but...after what I did today, she'll never speak to me again!'

Sophia ran until she got to the pond in the middle of the park. 'Still no sign of him...' she thought. 'Maybe I should just go home...' Suddenly, she saw someone's reflection in the pond. 'Someone else is here?' she thought. She looked up to find the owner of the reflection. "...Seto!!" she cried.

Seto looked up. He saw Sophia standing some feet away from him. "...Sophia..." he said softly. He wanted so badly to run up to her and hold her in his arms and tell her how sorry he was for yelling at her. But his feet were frozen in place. He couldn't move an inch.

Sophia, who was standing at least two yards away from Seto, ran to him as fast as she possibly could.

End Chapter Fifteen

That's it for this one! In the flashbacks for Seto and Sophia, I kinda ripped the name "Keiko" from YuYu Hakusho, but oh well!! The site also screwed up my borders that separated Sophia's thoughts from Seto's but ah whatever! Ja ne!


	16. Three Little Words

By Hikaru Hayashi

The last chapter was so short, wasn't it? And, for Master Ruby, there was a point to that ending, I swear...!! Ah, you'll see in this chapter. Everyone will. There was also a reason I got this up so late...gomen. All right peoples! This chapter might also be a tiny bit short, but it's sweet...it's the moment you've all been waiting for!! Literally...!

Disclaimer note: Regardless of what happens in this chapter, I do not own Seto Kaiba!! Or, for that matter, anyone else from Yu-Gi-Oh!!!

Now let the story continue...!

Chapter 16: Three Little Words

Sophia ran to Seto as fast as she could. She couldn't think of anything else but getting to him and apologizing about earlier. She found herself running into his outstretched arms.

"Oh Sophia!" Seto cried as he embraced her. "I...I'm so sorry!"

Sophia was speechless. 'But, I'm the one who should really be apologizing! And why is he hugging me?! What gives? I'm confused...' "Um, Seto," she started, "it's okay, I'm the one who should be sorry, not you..."

"Sophia..." whispered Seto. "I...I have to tell you something."

Sophia looked up. "What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Seto held her tighter. "I've been meaning to tell you this for a while," he said. "But something wouldn't let me...I've been way too shy...and stubborn."

"It's not your fault," she said.

"But I'm not holding back any longer..." he said softly as he slightly lifted her head and stared into her eyes. "Sophia...I love you!"

Tears came to Sophia's eyes as she took in the words she never thought she would hear him say. "Oh, Seto...!" she sighed. "I've waited so long to hear you say that! I..." She wiped away a few tears before finishing her sentence. "I...I love you too, Seto!! I always have..."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, neither saying a word.

Sophia looked away in disbelief, trying to take in everything that had just happened. 'This has to be a dream...' she thought. 'This has to be...there's no way this can be real!' "Seto," she started, "I don't think--"

She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't want to. She looked up at Seto again.

The two of them closed their eyes as their lips locked in a soft, passionate kiss.

Riley, who had been searching the park for hours, collapsed off of his Go-Ped and onto the ground from exhaustion. 'Fine!' he thought wearily. 'Screw the both 'a them! I don't care if they hate each other...I don't care if they ever talk to each other again! I just hope that Kaiba remembers I tried to help him...'

Out of curiosity, he looked though the bush he had collapsed near, just because. A huge grin appeared on his face as he saw Sophia and Seto kissing. 'So...' he thought. 'They found their way to each other...I should have known they would!! They make such a cute couple! I hope they stay together for a long time...'

Riley picked up his Go-Ped and started to walk away. "I wish the best for the both of them!" he said to himself. As he was walking away, he started getting hentai thoughts again. "Mmm...heh, heh, heh...I should go find Izumi-chan..." he chuckled to himself.

As their kiss ended, the tears came back to Sophia's eyes. "It's all real...it really is..." she whispered. "It's not a dream..." She threw her arms around Seto. "Oh Seto!!" she cried. "I'm sorry! I really am!"

"Daijobu, Sophi," he said sweetly.

'Wow...' she thought, amazed. 'He actually called me "Sophi"...!' She rested her head on his shoulder. "It's been a long day..." she muttered.

Just then, Seto's limo pulled up in the distance. Mokuba jumped out of the back seat. "Nii-sama! Where are you?" he called. "That's weird..." he then muttered, almost inaudibly.

"Um, Sophi," Seto started, "if you like, I could give you a ride home."

She looked up at him a smiled a tired but happy smile. "Y'know, I'd like that!" she said.

Seto put his arm around Sophia's shoulder as they walked to the limo. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life..." he said as he looked at her and smiled. "So...thank you, Sophi! If it hadn't been for you, I would have drowned!"

Sophia looked up at him with glittering eyes. "Aw...don't mention it!" she said bashfully. "I'm just glad you remembered!" She looked very content. 'He smiled for me...!' she thought. 'Someone pinch me...'

As they walked up to the limo, Mokuba looked at them in utter confusion. "Uh...Nii-sama..." he started. "...What're you doing? Why is she here? Tell her to go away, she's annoying! Come on! You can tell her off GOOD, Nii-sama!!"

"Mokuba..." Seto said, with a sly look on his face. "You ought to be nicer to my girlfriend!"

'Girlfriend?!?' Sophia thought cheerfully. 'Me?? Awesome!!!'

"GIRLFRIEND????" screamed Mokuba. "WHADDYA MEAN GIRLFRIEND????!"

"Just what I mean!" Seto chuckled. "Hop in Mokuba, we're gonna take Sophi home first."

"'SOPHI'?????" Mokuba screamed again. "WHAT THE HECK!!!! THIS CAN'T BE REAL! NII-SAMA NEVER TALKS TO A GIRL, LET ALONE DOES HE HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!! THIS IS AN IMPOSTER!!!!!"

"Mokuba! Stop shouting!" Seto said sternly as he was helping Sophia into the limo. "I taught you better than that. Now get in!"

'Nope!' Mokuba thought angrily as he got into the limo. 'It's him, alright!!'

The limo pulled up to Sophia's house. Seto got out and opened the door for her.

"Ooh! Why, thank you!" Sophia said, surprised. "Y'know, you never cease to amaze me, Seto Kaiba!"

Seto blushed. "Ah...don't mention it." He said shyly as he walked Sophia to her doorstep.

"Well, thanks again," she said as she got out her door keys.

Seto gave her one more kiss. "See you at school tomorrow, Sophi!" he said as he walked over to his limo and got in.

Sophia caught the amusing way-past-pissed-off-scared look on Mokuba's face.

As the limo was driving off, Sophia heard their voices:

"AAAAaaaaaAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaahHhhhGGGGG!!!!! EEEEEEWWWWWW!! NII-SAMA!!! SHE KISSED YOU!!! GIRLS HAVE COOOOOOTIIIEEEEEEES!!!!"

"Mokuba...shut up!!!"

Sophia giggled as she walked into her house.

End Chapter Sixteen

There!! I will say, this was the hardest chapter I've written so far (especially the kissing scene—this chapter took me two frickin' days!! Gomen nasai!) Well, how'd ya like it? Let me know by hitting that stupid blue button and reviewing. Ja ne!


	17. Arguement with Father

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
I am PISSED! It looks like I've got stuff to discuss before we get this chapter started. This is for anonymous reviewer/flamer "Cameron" (You are leaving me no choice, I am now forced to give away spoilers cause of your review...)  
  
For one, Sophia DOES have weaknesses. They are just not very relevant to the first half of the story. They will be introduced later. Sophia's shallowness WAS intentional!! Annie's evil bad guy personality progresses through the story, as she learns from her mistake and comes back even stronger and eviler (and less scatter-brained, I might add). I will, however, fix the things you told me to, so throughout this week, I will be doing a series of edits with Chapters 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16; as well as trying to post a new chapter every day.  
  
Second of all, I originally designed "Kokoro no Seto" as a personal "manga" of sorts (l love to draw). In my hurry to post it as a fic, I did not realize the flaws and shallowness of the plot; which is the reason I'm adding more detail to the aforementioned chapters. I never came up with reasons for details mentioned. Sophia CAN hold her breath for almost an hour. She has magic powers so she can cheat and not have to hold her breath at all. And she's my character so I can do whatever I darn please.  
  
Seto can't swim. I never introduced this into the story because I have at least 5 different plots for "Kokoro no Seto" and this is just one of them. In one plot, he has a childhood accident that leaves him afraid of the water. In this plot, I never figured it out. He can't swim and that's that (and if you didn't notice, neither can Moki).  
  
Third and final, this fic is AU (Alternate Universe). Any and everything Yugi did to help Seto NEVER HAPPENED!!! Seto and Yugi don't even know or care each other exist! Seto can be a little shy if I want him to 'cause it's MY FIC!! I want you to understand that! Seto is not as big of a jerk in this fic, even though I do need to introduce his character change a little more clearly. Seto does NOT fall in love with Sophia because she saved his life!! That will be explained in the edited Chapter 11. I want to get that point out as clearly as possible! He's not going to fall in love with her that easily!! The break up DOES affect their relationship, which I will explain in the edited Chapters 14 and 15.  
  
And I will take out the icons.  
  
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
  
Now, with THAT crap out of the way (and this took a whole page on my computer, thank you very much) let's continue!  
  
Disclaimer note: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own Sophia Ann Carmichael; she's my character and whatever I have her do is because I darn feel like it, thank you very much!!  
  
And another thank you to my anonymous Flamer "Cameron". I did not see the holes in the plot and I will do the best I can to fill in the holes and make you happy, 'cause that's what I do. Just remember the small things before you go flaming me again! (And, just as Annie eventually learns from her mistake, I've learned from mine: NO MORE FLAMES ALLOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  
  
May I remind you: even though she seems like it, Sophia is not perfect, and this chapter proves it! Now let's continue!!  
  
Chapter 17: Argument with Father  
  
        Sophia walked through her front door after Seto had dropped her off, just to see her dad, sitting on the couch looking a little upset. "Hey Daddy!" she chirped. "What's up?"  
  
"What the devil took you so long to get home?" her father asked sternly. "Your mother and I were worried about you!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Daddy," Sophia said. "It's just that—"  
  
"And... !" he said, cutting her off. "I hope I don't see much of that boy hanging around here!"  
  
"Wha...oh! You mean Seto!" Sophia giggled. "Yeah, he was just giving me a ride home! Do you have a problem with that?"  
  
"My problem is that I don't want you getting too attached to him!" Rick shouted at his daughter, causing her to flinch.  
  
Also, at this, Sophia's mother came running out of the kitchen.  
  
Sophia was dumbstruck. "Well, what do you mean, Daddy?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Don't play dumb!" he shouted again. "You know DARN well what I mean! I saw you kissing him! I'm not blind, you know!!"  
  
"Oh...THAT'S what this is about?" Sophia asked, almost amused as she started to walk up to her father. "Daddy, you have nothing to worry about! It was just a good-night kiss. It didn't really mean anything."  
  
Mr. Carmichael folded his arms and looked cross. "Hmph! Sure looked like it meant something to me...!"  
  
Sophia stopped dead in her tracks. "Daddy, what are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying that I can't let some boy take advantage of you!"  
  
"But he wasn't! Seto was really sweet!"  
  
"Yeah, that's what they all want you to think! Trust me, I've been there! I pulled the same nasty pranks on girls when I was in high school!"  
  
"But, Seto isn't like that!!"  
  
"I DON'T CARE!!" Mr. Carmichael was screaming by now. "I don't want you hanging out with that boy...whatever his name is!"  
  
"His name is Seto Kaiba!" Sophia shouted. She was now crying. [A/N: Her head must hurt from crying a lot that day...]  
  
"I don't care! You're not to even speak to him."  
  
"But we have a lot of the same classes!"  
  
"Then just ignore him..."  
  
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! YOU NEVER WILL!!!!" Sophia screamed. She ran up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Rick stomped to the stairs and called up, "And you're GROUNDED too!!!"  
  
Mr. Carmichael walked over to a chair and plopped down.  
  
"I don't know, Rick," said his wife. "I think you were too hard on her."  
  
"Jenna, you know as well as I do the nasty stuff teenage boys do to girls Sophi's age," he said. "I just don't want to see anything happen to her."  
  
"I don't know," Mrs. Carmichael sighed. "He seemed like a nice boy!"  
  
"Pfssh! Yeah, they all do..." Mr. Carmichael muttered under his breath as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV.  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
End Chapter Seventeen  
  
That's it! The stuff I was gonna put in this chapter I didn't because of my stupid notes to my flamer!! My fingers are tired for now, and I'm still frustrated...and I think my frustration shows in this chapter! As you see, Cameron, if you're reading this, "perfect" girls don't and I mean DO NOT argue with their parents, therefore, Sophia is not perfect! NOW REVIEW, DANGIT!!! Ja ne! ::said with annoyance, yes, I am pissed:: 


	18. Midnight Phone Call

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Hey yo peoples! I'm sorry about the other day...I was just so freaking angry! But I'm better now. I've got like summer homework and everything, so it would be hard to type a new chapter and edit all those other ones. But I will try. And also, a thank you to Cameron for that very cool (and gutsy) review. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. But, heck! I'm just like Seto...short tempered and stubborn!!  
  
Also, to Cameron, if you wish to continue reviewing my fic, go right ahead. I respect the fact that you decided to apologize. I also want you to know, if you're reading this, that I've got no grudge against you anymore!  
  
Sometime later today (hopefully), I'll post the edited Chapter 9. It explains the reason Seto and Mokuba can't swim very well and I might also add a little more detail.  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own anyone/thing from Yu-Gi-Oh! And that's that. However, if you wish to sue me then by all means...go right ahead! Just remember that I don't own anything!!  
  
All right! Let the story continue! (Note: This chapter is the other part of Chapter 17 that I didn't add.)  
  
Chapter 18: Midnight Phone Call  
        "A Rebellious Act by Sophia!"  
  
        Sophia threw herself onto her bed and cried. "He doesn't understand," she muttered. "It's not fair!! He can't tell me what not to do and I'll prove it! I'm going to call Seto right now!" She sat up, picked up her phone, and dialed the number.  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        Seto sat at his desk typing on his laptop. 'In today's little events, I forgot about that stupid research paper that's due tomorrow!!' thought Seto. He sighed. "Ah...100 pages? Teachers are crazy if they expect us to write 100 pages in one night...I thought I could actually get some sleep tonight, but I guess not!!"  
  
Just then, the phone rang.  
  
'Argh! What now?' he thought. 'This better be important...this is like the 12th time the phone rang within the last 25 minutes!!' He picked up the phone. "What do you want, I'm busy!"  
  
"Gee, I should think after today, you'd be a little nicer to me!" came the familiar voice on the other line.  
  
Seto blushed. "Oh! It's you Sophi! That's a relief..."  
  
"Of course it's me, silly!" she said. "Who else would it be?"  
  
"Nobody you have to worry about!" he replied. "You could've been another bonehead client, for all I know!... ...So, what's up?"  
  
"I need to talk to you, that is, if you're free. (Jeez, Seto, the "bonehead" comment was completely unnecessary!) So, are you busy right now?"  
  
Seto closed his laptop. "No, actually, I've got plenty of time!" he lied. "So, what's on your mind?"  
  
"Well, it's my dad..." Sophia started. "He's, well..."  
  
"What's wrong with your dad?"  
  
"He..." she paused for a second. She took a deep breath and continued speaking, "He doesn't like you all that much..."  
  
"How the heck would he know?" Seto asked, a little confused. "I've never met him. Well, at least you have a dad!"  
  
"Come again, Seto?" Sophia asked. "I didn't quite catch that."  
  
He paused. 'Oops! I need to watch what I say...the last thing I need is for her to feel sorry for me!' he thought. "Um...just forget that, all right? Why doesn't your dad like me?"  
  
"You remember when you dropped me off at my house earlier?"  
  
"Uh-huh..."  
  
"And right before you left, you kissed me?"  
  
"Yeah..." Seto was getting a little uneasy because she mentioned the kiss. "If there's a point, get to it..."  
  
"The point is...my dad...he kinda saw that...!"  
  
"... ... ... ...He WHAT?!?" Seto was a little shocked. "So, you have the kind of parents that like to spy on their kids to make sure they stay out of trouble."  
  
"No actually," she replied. "It's just my dad. And he said I can't talk to you anymore!"  
  
"Well... ... ..." Seto, for once, was at a loss for words. "He can't do that!" he shouted after a while.  
  
"Seto...mind if I change the subject?" Sophia asked as she started to cry again.  
  
"By all means...!" Seto replied. 'Who does this guy think he is?!' he thought to himself. 'I'd sure like to give him a piece of my mind right about now...and maybe a piece of my fist as well...' [A/N: Obviously, this isn't something he'd say under normal circumstances...]  
  
"Um, Seto? Are you still there?"  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
"I wanted to ask you...why did you start being nice to me all of a sudden?"  
  
"I don't know!" he started to say. But he changed his mind. 'I can't say that to her...' he thought. 'I'd be lying...should I just tell her the truth?' Instead, he replied, "Um, Sophi, I really don't feel like answering that question right now."  
  
"Oh." She said softly. "Okay, that's fine. Holy crud! Look at the time!"  
  
Seto looked at his watch. The time read 12:30. "Oh shoot!!" he shouted. "I've gotta finish that stupid research paper!!"  
  
"Hey!" Sophia shouted on the other line. "I thought you said you weren't busy?!"  
  
Seto thought carefully before answering her. "I'm NEVER to busy to talk to you, Sophia!" he said.  
  
Sophia beamed. "Aww...he he! You shouldn't have!" she giggled. "Well, I gotta go. Good night, Seto!"  
  
"Good night, Sophi!"  
  
They both hung up the phone.  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        Sophia put her pajamas on and jumped into bed. 'I feel a lot better now!' she thought. 'I didn't quite finish my homework, but that's okay! I'll just get up early and finish it. Or, maybe Seto will help me like last time!' At this, she giggled a little.  
  
She turned off the lights. 'I wonder if Seto will give me a ride to school tomorrow...' she thought. 'I'll call him in the morning.'  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        After hanging the phone up, Seto turned his laptop back on. 'Maybe...' he thought, still thinking about Sophia's last question. 'Maybe I should have just told her the truth...that I've actually liked her since the first time we spoke...'  
  
He stood up and walked over to the window. "Now that I think about it, I was kind of flattered when she called me 'Seto'...!" he said to no one in particular. "Hmm...maybe I should challenge her to a rematch, she's a pretty good duelist...No, I'll just let her have that one!" At this, he chuckled a little, then went back over to his desk.  
  
'All right, Seto!' he thought as he cracked his knuckles started typing again. 'Let's keep working. Only 99 pages to go!'  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
End Chapter Eighteen  
  
Hey, how was that? Why do I always ask that at the end of every chapter? Why am I in the odd process of writing all these rhetorical questions? Ah, just kidding! Well, that's it. I shouldn't ask you how you liked it...because all of you lovely people will tell me in your review! Ja ne! 


	19. Another Disturbing Dream

By Hikaru Hayashi  
  
Okay, peoples! I've wiped the "faces" out of Chapters 15 and 14, and I'm reposting them soon...for now, enjoy the new freshly typed Chapter 19! (Dang! I'm almost at 20 chapters! I surprise myself...) Also, in my edited Chapter 9 in my ending notes I accidentally wrote Chapter 20 and I meant to write 19 so...gomen nasai!  
  
Another short note...I'm wondering what happened to Thief Girl Kura! She hasn't review since Chapter 15 and I'm a little worried...maybe she vanished from the face of the planet...?  
  
And also, a huge thank you to my official fan Master Ruby! Thanks for stickin' with the program! And now for the disclaimer...  
  
Disclaimer note: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. But, I do, however, own this fic! And Sophia and Co. as well. Thank you very much... ... ...have a nice day.  
  
Now, let's continue the story!  
  
Chapter 19: Another Disturbing Dream  
        "Izumi's Dream Dilemma"  
  
        Sophia walked to school the next day looking disturbed. She was still angry about what her dad had said the night before and she had another disturbing dream. She heard a voice calling from behind her...the voice that usually belongs to Izumi. But today...  
  
"Hey, Sophi! Good morning!"  
  
Sophia, stunned, turned around. "Oh... ...Seto? What are you...?"  
  
"Heh! I decided to walk to school today," he replied.  
  
"Oh..." she turned her head and kept walking.  
  
"Hey, you look troubled, Sophi," Seto said, concerned. "What's wrong?"  
  
'Should I tell him...?' She thought to herself.  
  
Seto became a bit more concerned because Sophia didn't answer him. "If this is about your dad...!" he said.  
  
"No, it's not that..." Sophia sighed. "It's just that...I had a bad dream last night, that's all..." She stopped walking and closed her eyes trying to hold back tears. She then felt Seto's arm around her shoulder.  
  
She heard him whisper in her ear: "If something's wrong, you can always talk to me, Sophi."  
  
Sophia smiled and looked at him. "Thanks, Seto." She said. "That helps me feel a little better." She closed her eyes again as she let him kiss her.  
  
A moment later, a sound that sounded like two people shouting in unison came out of nowhere: "HOLY...!!!!"  
  
Seto and Sophia turned around to find that Izumi and her friend Anzu were staring at them with blank looks.  
  
"Hey, Izzy. What's up?" asked Sophia casually as Seto quickly let go of her and started blushing madly.  
  
"What's up...?!" Izumi shouted. "What's up is that..."  
  
Anzu cut her off. "Were you just kissing Kaiba?!"  
  
"Wow, you know him!" Sophia said, startled. "How'd you..."  
  
Seto didn't let her finish. "Um, Sophi," he started. "I used to go to her school, remember?"  
  
Sophia felt a little silly. "Why do I keep forgetting that?" she asked herself.  
  
"Wow! You remembered me!" Anzu chirped, a bit flattered.  
  
Seto glared at her. "It's hard to forget you and your stupid friends, Anzu Mazaki! Now, if you don't mind...!" He put his arm around Sophia's shoulder and led her away. "Let's go Sophi."  
  
As Izumi watched them walk away, she thought, 'Wow...who'd have guessed...Sophia and Kaiba-kun!'  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        Sophia was sitting at her desk, and was just finishing up the last of her homework, when Izumi walked through the door.  
  
"What gives, Sophia?" Izumi said, half-annoyed. "You called me 'Izzy', again! AND Anzu told me how you hate her. AND..."  
  
"There better not be more..." Sophia muttered under her breath.  
  
"How long have you...y'know...since when are..."  
  
Riley's voice came from nowhere. "Hey, Sophia!"  
  
Sophia looked up to see Riley with a huge grin on his face. His sunglasses were resting on top of his head.  
  
"So, congratulations!" he said. "I heard he finally told ya he liked you."  
  
"Who...oh, you're talking about Seto?" Sophia asked. "Also, what do you mean, 'finally...'?"  
  
"Ah, never mind..." Riley sighed. "So, tell me...what is it like to have secured your position as the future Mrs. Seto Kaiba?!"  
  
"Hey, HEY!" Sophia said, sternly. "I don't think we're going THAT far! I honestly don't think we'll go as far as marriage. Besides, he wouldn't wanna marry me."  
  
"Riiiiight..." Riley said slyly as he walked away. He walked over to Seto, who was leaning against a wall. "So, we cool, right?"  
  
Seto grinned a little. "Sure." He said. "But that doesn't mean we're not rivals!"  
  
"Right!" Riley agreed as they exchanged a handshake. "So, what do ya think of Sophia?" Riley asked. "Nice girl, ain't she?"  
  
"Yeah..." Seto sighed. After a moment, he said, "...Riley?"  
  
"Yah?" Riley replied.  
  
"...Um...what now? I mean, I've got her, now what?"  
  
Riley stared at Seto. "Well...ain'tcha gonna ask the nice girl out on a date or somethin'? I mean...ya don't have to worry about her likin' anyone else."  
  
"True... ... ...Ah, if only I had the time..."  
  
"It's called 'weekends'..."  
  
"I'm busy on the weekends too! Ah, shoot!!" Seto punched the wall he was just leaning on. "There has to be something I can do for her...!! There has to be!"  
  
"Don't worry about it, man." Riley said. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."  
  
"I should never have gotten involved..." Seto muttered. "I knew this was a bad idea..."  
  
"Well, ya cain't stay a loner forever..."  
  
"Yes I can!!!"  
  
Riley looked at him, startled. "Man, I cain't believe you just said that! Look, you gotta have more confidence in yourself. You got a little brother to look out for, and you got a girlfriend! You need to be more confident. A'ight?"  
  
Seto sighed. "Okay..." Then he looked up. "You're right, Riley."  
  
"I'm ALWAYS right!"  
  
"If I need any advice, I'll probably talk to you!"  
  
"Smart move, man," Riley said, with a sly smile.  
  
Seto sighed again. "She's so pretty..."  
  
"Mm-hmm..." Riley answered automatically.  
  
"I should like to marry her someday..."  
  
"Yeah...you really should..."  
  
"...Really?"  
  
"Yeah...!"  
  
Seto looked at Riley, amused. "Really?!"  
  
Riley responded coolly, "Go for it, man!!"  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
        Meanwhile, Izumi asked Sophia, "What do you think the guys are talking about?"  
  
Sophia looked up. "Hmm? What guys?"  
  
"What guys?! Riley-kun and Kaiba-kun! Like DUH!!"  
  
"Oh, sorry..."  
  
"Hey," Izumi said, sounding concerned. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"  
  
'I should at least tell Izumi...' she thought. "Izumi, I had a dream last night."  
  
"So did I!" Izumi said.  
  
"Yeah?" Sophia said, surprised.  
  
"Yeah! I dreamed that I was a world famous chef! And you were my assistant and I had a cute little pet monkey! His name was "Joey" and I don't know anybody named Joey!! And at the end of the dream, Riley-kun asked me to marry him!!!!! Strange, huh?!"  
  
Sophia looked down again. "Yeah, strange..." she said with a monotone voice.  
  
"So," Izumi started, "what was your dream about?"  
  
"Well," Sophia said, "I dreamed...well, I was sitting on a park bench in the park...and..."  
  
"And...?" Izumi asked, trying to get her to finish.  
  
"...And then, I heard a voice calling me...it was Seto...and he was wearing a white shirt with the collar flipped up and white pants. He looks so hot wearing that color...it makes me wish our uniforms were white instead of blue..."  
  
"Hey! I like the blue!" Izumi said. "Go on."  
  
"Then..." Sophia continued, "as he was walking towards me...something happened...I don't know what, it was kinda fast...but something happened and the next thing I knew, Seto was lying on the ground...and I was too, like I was paralyzed or something...and there was blood on the grass and..." She stopped and cringed.  
  
"Ah, maybe I shouldn't have made you tell me." Izumi said quietly. "Gomen na..."  
  
"No, I'm glad I told somebody...it's been bugging me all morning..."  
  
"Toshte? [Why?]"  
  
"Well," Sophia started. "I think it's a premonition. At the end of my dream, I saw a shadow hovering over me...then everything went dark...then I woke up."  
  
"I don't believe in premonitions..." Izumi said. "And, I think you're overreacting...you're just tired! You should go to bed early tonight."  
  
"Maybe you're right..." Sophia sighed.  
  
The bell rang to start class. Izumi went to her desk. While walking to her desk, she thought, 'I forgot! Also in my dream, Sophia's last name was..."Kaiba"...!! But, then again...it WAS just a dream...wasn't it? Of course it was! Dreams don't come true. That only happens in fairy tales. There are no such things as dreams coming true or premonitions...or are there...?'  
  
        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
  
End Chapter Nineteen  
  
How did this chapter make you feel? For me, it's one of those chapters that makes ya think, if you know what I mean. Well, that's all for now. Go on ahead and REVIEW! Ja ne! 


	20. And Then There Were Three

By Hikaru Hayashi

It's been a while, but I'm back! I know I kept some people waiting, like my good fan Master Ruby, but I apologize for that! I also apologize for not getting this up earlier, but my parents made me wash my mom's car.

So anyway, here's the next chapter! You'll never guess who shows up in this one! (New character! Whee!) Also, this chapter marks the countdown to Annie's return. If anyone has any requests on how to make her less of a space cadet, please let me know in your review! Because I have no clue!!

This chapter marks my 20th chapter point! I'm so happy!!

Disclaimer note: I don't own the new character that shows up in this chapter. I don't own anyone else from Yu-Gi-Oh! either! But I do own Sophia, Riley, and Izumi.

Let the story continue with CHAPTER 20!!!

Chapter 20: And Then There Were Three...

School dragged by as usual. Sophia tried to concentrate on her schoolwork, but her dream kept on coming back to haunt her. Was it a premonition? Or was she just stressed out? _Maybe Izumi was right..._she thought.

The bell rang to go to their last class. Riley waltzed up to Seto and whispered, "If yer gonna ask her, now's the time..."

Seto nodded. He walked up to Sophia. "Um, hey, Sophi."

Sophia turned around. "Oh! Hi, Seto! What's up?"

"Well..." he started. He felt his cheeks turning red. "I kinda had some free time off this weekend and..."

"Sure, I'll go out with you, Seto!" Sophia replied, not even thinking.

This annoyed Seto. "Do not finish my sentence, Sophia!" he said.

"Ah...oops..." she muttered. _Great...don't tell me I can read minds too..._she thought. _Blast it all..._

"Anyway!" Seto continued. "I was going to ask if you want to hang out this weekend. But since you already answered, I guess I don't have to ask! I'll pick you up at 6, okay?"

"All right," Sophia said. "Six it is. See you then!"

"Okay! (And make sure your dad doesn't find out...I don't want you to get in trouble again!)" With this, Seto walked off.

"I almost forgot about that..." Sophia said to herself. "Oh well!" She skipped off to class, no longer in a gloomy mood.

_Well... _thought Seto as he walked into his next class, _that was easier than I thought it would be...! _

The final bell rang. Sophia walked out of the school, waving to Riley as he sped by on his go-ped. _He's bound to have an accident on that thing someday..._she thought. She heard Seto calling her.

"Sophi!" he called. "Do you need a ride home?"

She turned and saw him standing by his limo. Mokuba poked his head out of the backseat window and waved.

Sophia smiled. "No thanks!" she shouted back. "I'll walk today. Besides, I need the exercise and I have water polo practice tomorrow (I haven't been going lately because I've had so much homework...)"

"Oh...okay," Seto said. He got into the limo. "See you at school tomorrow!" he said. The limo drove off.

"Hey!" came Izumi's voice. "If you want, you can walk home with me and Anzu!"

Sophia sighed and started walking. "No thanks..." she called back to Izumi. "I think I'll pass..." _Anything to keep away from that Anzu girl..._

She had walked a few blocks when she noticed someone lying in the middle of the sidewalk. He looked pretty badly injured. "Hey! That kid's hurt!" Sophia said as she rushed to help the injured person. He looked about 12 years old and had light green hair.

Sophia cradled the boy's head. "Hey...can you hear me?" she whispered.

The boy moaned.

"I've gotta get him to a hospital!" Sophia said as she got out her cell phone.

The injured boy woke up and found himself in a hospital room. "Wha...huh?" he managed to say. "How did I get here? What happened?"

Sophia walked back in the room with a soda in her hand, when she realized the boy had come to. "Great!" she said. "You're awake! I'm glad. The doctors weren't sure you were gonna make it. What happened to you?"

"It happened so fast..." the boy said. "I was on a train coming to visit some relatives of mine, when the train derailed...I barely escaped...I think I was the only one who survived the accident..." The boy tried to sit up.

"You shouldn't try to sit up," Sophia said as she grabbed a chair and opened her soda. "The doctors said they have to keep you here overnight. By the way," she said, starting to take a drink from her soda, "My name's Sophia Ann Carmichael. I'm the one who found you. What's your name?"

"Oh!" the boy said. "Sorry, I hadn't introduced my self. My name is Noah. Noah Kaiba."

Sophia spit out her soda. "D-d-did you just say _Kaiba?!"_ she stuttered as she wiped soda from her mouth.

"Yes!" the boy called Noah replied. "Why?"

Sophia thought, _it has to be a coincidence, but..._"Noah..." she started. "Are you, by any chance, related to Seto and Mokuba Kaiba?"

"Yep!" he replied. "They're the relatives I was coming to visit! They're my step-cousins. I wanted to stop by and say hello, even though they don't like me very much. So, you know them?"

Sophia could not believe what she was hearing. _They never told me they had a step-cousin...weird..._ She decided to answer Noah's question. "Well, yeah I know them. Seto's a classmate of mine."

Noah gave her a sly look. "You wouldn't wig out when I told you my name if he's just a classmate..." he said.

Sophia felt herself blushing. "What are you getting at?"

Noah snickered. "Seto's your _boyfriend,_ isn't he?!"

"Uh...um..." Sophia stuttered.

"Yeah...uh-huh! I knew it!"

"Uh..." Sophia moaned. _I know why they don't like him now..._she thought. _The kid's a total pest! _

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have pretty eyes?" Noah asked, almost mockingly.

Sophia decided to retaliate. "Did anyone ever tell you you're an obnoxious little brat?"

"...Ouch..." Noah said, annoyed. "That hurts..."

"Words hurt, kiddo," she said while getting out her cell phone. "Trust me. I know from experience." She dialed Seto's number.

At the Kaiba mansion, Seto was in his room typing on his laptop, when the phone rang. As usual, this just happened to be the millionth call he'd gotten since getting home from school. _Darn clients..._he thought as he answered the phone. _Do they ever give up?! _He stopped. "Isona!" he shouted.

From the hallway, a voice answered: "Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" (A/N: In the English version, I believe "Isona" is called Roland, or something like that...)

"Isona, answer the phone, I'm busy!" Seto shouted as he continued typing.

"Yes sir!" he answered. About 30 seconds later, the guy called Isona shouted back, "Mr. Kaiba, it's your friend Sophia!"

"...Thanks..." he muttered as he picked up the phone. _I should have answered it myself..._he thought. "Hello, Sophia."

"Hey, Seto," came Sophia's voice on the other line. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm at the hospital right now and..."

Seto became alarmed at this. "Are you okay? I'll be right there!"

"No! I'mfine, silly!" Sophia giggled. "Thanks for caring though. So there's a boy here who says he's your cousin, a Noah Kaiba. You know him?"

Seto was quiet. _Did she just say Noah...?_ He thought. _I guess I didn't tell him off good enough last time...! _Seto decided to lie. "Nope! Never heard of him."

"Oh..." Sophia said.

In the background, Seto could hear their voices:

"Noah, Seto says he doesn't know you."

"He's lying through his teeth! Give me that phone, you!!"

"Hey! Watch it!"

The next time he heard a voice over the phone, it was Noah's.

"Hey, Seto!" he said cheerfully. "I missed you and Mokuba. How are the both of you doing?"

Seto was furious. "Give my girlfriend back her phone, you creep!!"

"I thought you didn't know me!" Noah teased.

"Look, you," Seto said. "I'm really trying not to lose my temper here. Now give Sophia back her phone and go home."

"Um...well, you see," Noah said, in an innocent tone. "I used up the last of my allowance on the trip here, so..."

"...You are **not** staying over here, you freak!" Seto shouted. "Look, I'll even send an escort to take you home. Just please go away!! And give Sophia's phone back to her you thief!!"

"Fine..." Noah sighed. "...Not even for a few days?"

Seto slammed the phone onto the receiver.

End Chapter Twenty

This chapter ends in a weird spot, but I couldn't think of how else to end it. So that's all. You can tell that Noah is that typical annoying cousin that gets on everyone's nerve, can't you? I hope to be able to post the next chapter soon. Until then, review! Ja ne!


	21. Seto Meets Sophia's Parents

By Hikaru Hayashi

It's been a while. I still have no clue how to make Annie less of a scatterbrain, but I'm going to try. Don't worry, she's not back yet...well...I don't think so...ah wutever.

Disclaimer note: I don't own certain people in this fic. But I do own some other people in this fic and I'm gonna shut my mouth now, so...yah.

Ah, let's just continue...!

Chapter 21: Seto Meets Sophia's Parents 

It was decided, over much debate and arguing, that Noah was to stay at the mansion with Seto and Mokuba.

"Why not?" Sophia asked. "You guys are relatives."

"You have a point," Mokuba replied. "But of all the relatives...I mean, we don't like any of them but..."

"...Oh, crap, why does it have to be Noah!" said a clearly pissed of Seto, finishing Mokuba's sentence.

"You guys talkin' about me?" came Noah's voice.

The group turned around to see Noah, standing in the doorway to the mansion's library, where they were holding their discussion.

Sophia, both her parents being doctors, said sternly, "Noah, you know you shouldn't be out of bed. Now go get some rest."

"But I feel fine!" Noah argued. "Really!!"

"If I were you, Noah," Seto began, "I would listen to her. If not, then I guess we could just leave you back out on the streets..."

"Ack! I'm going!" Noah whined as he reluctantly went back to his room.

"Y'know, Seto," Sophia said, "You could have been a little nicer to him. That was a bit harsh."

He left the room, muttering, "Whatever..."

Sophia sighed.

Mokuba looked at her and said, "I can already tell you two are gonna have a tough relationship...I always said to myself, I pity the poor girl who decides to be Nii-sama's girlfriend. I guess that poor girl is you, Sophia!!" With this, Mokuba walked out of the library snickering.

..._Little brat..._ Sophia thought. _One minute he's so nice and the next...he's a regular punk...How does Seto put up with that kid?! _

Seto, remembering he'd left Sophia in the library, went back. "Um...Sophi?" he asked.

She looked at him and smiled. "Oh, yes?" she replied sweetly.

"I just remembered...are you sure you don't need a ride home?" Seto asked, concerned. "I mean, shouldn't you have been home hours ago?"

Sophia looked up at the clock. It was 9:15. _"Oh, shoot! I'm dead!" _ she shouted as she picked up her book bag and ran out the library door, giving Seto a quick kiss on the cheek before running off. "Bye! See you tomorrow!" she said quickly.

The next thing Seto knew, Sophia was out the door and halfway down the street. _Wow...she's pretty fast..._Seto thought. _I wonder if she's ever considered joining the track team...but water polo's her favorite sport...ah, like I care about that... _Seto went to his room, knowing he had a lot of work to finish.

Sophia quietly got out her house keys. She had then decided, "What the heck I'll go through the back door..." She snuck around to the back of her house. Since the back door was always open, she just walked right in. _Don't squeak, door..._she thought, knowing the back door had a tendency to squeak like a pack of mice.

..._ccCrrreee..._The back door made a small sound, barely audible.

Sophia walked into the house, slowly closing the door behind her. She was successful. Sophia sighed from relief and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. _Whew...that was close..._she thought. She tiptoed through the kitchen. _Strange..._she thought. _None of the lights are on...I don't feel a tingle so it has nothing to do with magic...but it's still strange... _

She opened the door to the living room. It was completely dark. _Maybe my parents are already in bed asleep..._she thought. All she had to do was feel her way through the dark living room and to the stairs. Then tiptoe up the stairs and to her room. _I'm almost there..._she thought. She grabbed the stair rail...

Suddenly, the lights came on. "Owww...what the..." she moaned, shading her eyes from the light.

"_Aha! Busted!!!" _came a voice.

Sophia was stunned. She slowly turned around. A figure was sitting in a chair facing the other direction. "Huh...wha..."

"_Heh hah! You thought you could get away **that** easily?!" _ Said the voice from the chair.

Sophia was nervous. "Who the heck is...?" she said, knowing she really didn't want the answer. She got it.

The chair swirled around to face Sophia's direction. She then learned the owner of the voice...and wasn't too thrilled. Her plan had failed. "Um...hi Daddy..." she said, nervously.

Sophia's dad got up out of his favorite chair. He walked towards his daughter. "So!" he said. "Where have **you** been, young lady?"

"Um...well..." Sophia stuttered. "I...uh...you see...it's....well...I was...um...oh boy..."

"Oh **boy** is right!" Mr. Carmichael said with a smirk on his face. "You were at that boy Stevo's house, weren't you?"

"_His name is Seto!!!" _Sophia shouted without thinking.

"Yeah...uh-huh!" Mr. Carmichael said, with satisfaction. "I knew it!"

..._Oops..._Sophia thought.

"You know you're in trouble...don't you Soph?"

"Look, Daddy!" Sophia said. "There's an explanation! I swear!"

"Mm-hmm..." Sophia's dad said, sternly. "There better be..."

"You see..." Sophia started, "I was on my way home, but then there was this boy..."

"ANOTHER ONE!!!" Mr. Carmichael screamed.

"NO!" Sophia shouted. "He was young, okay? Like around twelve. He was hurt, so I took him to the hospital. It turns out that he was related to Seto, so I decided to take him over to Seto's house. I guess I stayed there longer than I thought..."

"So you **were** at his house?" Mr. Carmichael asked.

At this time, Sophia's mom came downstairs. "What's this ruckus about?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "Richard! Sophia? Where have you been? And why are the lights so dang bright?!"

"Don't worry, Jen," Mr. Carmichael said. "I'm devising a plan so our delinquent daughter won't disobey us again. Do you realize she went over to that boy's house after school instead of coming straight home?"

Sophia's mom stared. "Is there a problem with that?" she asked. "When I was in high school, I went to my boyfriend's house all the time. My father never blew a gasket. Sophia, why don't you invite him over here one night?"

"**_WHAT?!?!"_** Rick shouted, wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open.

"Sure!" Jenna said, smiling. "After all, Seto seemed like a nice boy."

"At least Mom remembered his name..." Sophia muttered.

"And..." Mrs. Carmichael went on, "From the last time he took her home in that fancy car...he looks like he has a little bit of money..."

"Oh yeah!" Sophia said. "Daddy, I forgot to tell you, Seto's rich!"

"THAT'S why you like him?" Mr. Carmichael said in a whining voice. "My daughter! She's become a **gold-digger! **Going after guys because they have money!!"

"_Daddy!" _ Sophia shouted, her face turning red. "That's not it at all!!"

"This discussion could go on all night, but I'm ending it here," Mrs. Carmichael said. "Friday night, ask him over here for dinner. All right Sophia?"

"Okay!" Sophia chirped.

"And Richard!" Mrs. Carmichael said to her husband. "You try to behave for our charming young guest, alright?"

"Mumble...grumble...grummmble...mumbllleee...ah...sure...whatever..." Rick grumbled.

On her way out the door to school the next day, Sophia received an unexpected surprise. Seto was standing at her doorstep.

"Good morning, Sophi!" he said. "I thought I'd walk you to school today."

"Oh, wow...it's you...!!...I mean...hi Seto...! ...Uh...okay!" Sophia said as she began to blush.

Sophia's mom came out of the kitchen. "Well, who do we have here? Is this your friend Seto?"

Seto stared for a second.

"Oh, yeah!" Sophia said. "Seto, this is my mom. Mom, this is Seto Kaiba."

"And how are you this morning?" Mrs. Carmichael said, in a bubbly voice. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jenna Carmichael, but you may call me Jen. Sophia's told me a lot about you."

"Um...hello...I guess..." Seto said, not knowing what else to say.

"And **I'm** her dad!" Mr. Carmichael said, stepping out of the shadows. "You **will** call me Mr. Carmichael."

"Richard!" Mrs. Carmichael said, in a scolding voice. "Behave yourself!'

_Ah...okay..._Seto thought as a sweat drop rolled down the back of his head. _I'm thinking coming to pick her up was a bad idea...!_

"Listen, Solo..." Rick said.

"Um...if you don't mind, my name is Seto."

"Yah, whatever...listen here now!" Rick said, pointing a finger at Seto. "Don't you try anything fresh with my daughter! Got that?! Or I will personally see to it that you never see the light of day again!"

By now, Seto was more than a bit frustrated. "Well, **you** listen, old man," he started. "I don't know who you think your talking to, but I suggest you don't try to piss me off...!"

"Ah...so we have a little bit of a lip here, don't we?!" Rick said, annoyed. "And I am not old! I'm 42 and still young, I'll have you know!! And how old are you, huh? 17? 18 maybe?"

Seto was becoming angry. "If you must know, I'm 16. My birthday is in October."

"**HAH!!" ** Rick shouted. "Sophi's birthday is next week. She's **_older_ **than you!!!"

"_Would you just shut up, Old Man!!!" _Seto said, seconds away from blowing a fuse. "I'm losing my temper. And trust me...you **don't **want to see me when I'm angry...! Let's go, Sophi. I don't want us to be late for school." With this, Seto turned and walked off.

"Oh! Wait for me, Seto!" Sophia said, running off after him.

Rick sneered. "Look at the way he walks, Jen. He thinks he's sooooo bad, doesn't he?! Little Mr. High-and-Mighty-Snobby-Moneybags with his Holier-than-thou attitude...our daughter really knows how to pick a boyfriend, doesn't she? 'Oh, look at me! I'm Mr. Bad and you don't wanna see me when I'm angry!'"

Jenna sighed. "Richard...please..."

End Chapter Twenty-one

How was this one? Why do I ask that at the end of every chapter? Ah, heck! I don't have to ask, because you'll tell me in your review. I honestly think this chapter was weird, but he had to meet the folks sooner or later. Ah well. Ja ne!


	22. A Rival in Love

By Hikaru Hayashi

Hey there. I figured it was about time for me to add a new conflict. So I'm about to attempt. Will edit this chapter if necessary (like if you don't like it or if I don't like it if I get a request.)

Also, I highly recommend you read the Edits I made for Chapters 14 and 15 if you haven't already done so. Then comment me on those so I know if I have more editing to do.

To my reviewer/fan, Master Ruby: I feel you! Riley is a pretty neat character, isn't he? Don't worry, the whole gang's back in this chapter!

Disclaimer note: (This is Disclaimer note #22 for Hikaru Hayashi's fic, _Kokoro no Seto_ and she is getting really tired of these but she has no choice) I don't own anything! Okay, I do own something, but not everything.

Chapter 22: A Rival in Love

"Yet Another New Student"

"Listen, Seto?" Sophia said as they were walking to school. "I'm sorry about the way my parents acted. It's just that...they can be so juvenile at times...especially my dad..."

"It's okay..." Seto replied, not really looking at her.

"...Seto..." Sophia sighed. Then she remembered. "That's right! My mother wanted to invite you over for dinner Friday night. But, you've seen the way my parents act now, so you probably don't want to...and you're probably busy..."

"Actually, Sophi," Seto said, this time actually looking at her. "I'd like to come over on Friday."

Sophia looked up. "Really?" she said, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Sure," Seto replied. "Why not?"

Sophia caught up with Seto and hugged him. "Wow! After the way my dad treated you and you still would like to come over! You're wonderful, Seto!"

"...Ah...thanks," he said, blushing. _I just hope her parents aren't like that all the time..._

As the bell rang for class to start, Ms. Kumogata silenced the class. "Alright, class! Listen up. (Or else!) We have another new student!"

The class moaned.

"Yet _another _one?" A random student groaned, shooting Seto a dirty look.

Seto glared at the student, scaring him and causing him to turn back around and cringe.

"Yep! That's right!" said Kumogata-sensei, with a surprisingly huge smile on her face. "Another one! Like Kaiba-san, our new student has transferred here from Domino High School."

Riley suddenly seemed interested. _Aha!_ he thought. _My new lackey! This is perfect, especially if it's another one a' those snobs from Domino High. I will run his dignity into the ground like yesterday's garbage! _

Just then, the door opened. A boy with dark hair and green eyes walked in. A lone earring in the shape of a die dangled from one ear.

"Class," Kumogata-sensei began. "This is our new student, Ryuji Otogi."

"Hello everyone!" said the boy.

"All righty...Otogi-kun, there is an empty seat...right over there!" Sensei said, pointing at an empty desk in front of Sophia. [A/N: Lucky her...two in a row...]

Otogi stared at Sophia. _Oh my god..._he thought. _She must be an angel! And I'm in heaven..._

_Well...should I try and make a good impression or just leave it alone?_ Sophia thought, remembering what happened when she first met Seto.

Otogi strolled over to the empty desk, put down his book bag, turned to Sophia and said, "Well, hello there, Beautiful!"

Sophia was stunned. "Aah...?!"

"So?" Otogi said, hoping to get a better response this time. "Aren't you going to tell me your name, Sweet Cheeks?"

"My name is Sophia Ann Carmichael," she said. "It's not Beautiful or anything like that."

"Sophia...such a pretty name for such a pretty face."

"Cut it out with the flattery!" Sophia squeaked nervously.

"I don't know if anyone's ever told you this before," Otogi said, playing with a strand of his hair. "But you, my darling Sophia, are a like a flower...a single rose on a bush full of thorns...you are a very attractive young woman indeed."

Sophia blushed. "Well...I-I'm glad you think that but..."

Seto felt his anger rising. He felt something he had never felt before—jealousy. _Grr...Darn you...Otogi!! _He thought, resisting the urge to walk over and smack the crap out of him. _Darn you...you leave Sophia alone...! _

Otogi turned and faced Seto. "Hello, Kaiba," he said flatly. "Didn't think I'd ever see **you** again."

Seto just glared at him.

"Tell me," Otogi began. "What do you know about Sophia here? Knowing you, you've probably never spoken to the nice girl. She's very attractive, don't you agree? But, knowing you, you're probably not interested in things like that. I was going to ask pretty Sophia out on a date tomorrow [Sophia cringes]. But you probably don't care. You're probably not even jealous. You should be, because I got to her first!!"

"_That's enough! Shut up!!" _ Seto screamed. It was the last straw. He could no longer contain his anger.

"O-ho! What's this?" Otogi said. "Do I see...is Kaiba jealous? Oh no! I'm so scared!"

_Poor fool..._Sophia thought. _He really should be scared..._

Seto looked up, his face red from anger and frustration. "I'm warning you, Otogi..." he said. "Don't push me. If you so much as lay a finger on Sophia, I'll..."

"Um...boys?" came Kumogata-sensei's voice. "Could we finish our little argument **after **class? (Unless you'd rather settle it in detention! Gya ha!)"

Otogi turned around and sat in his desk, a little steamed that Seto had stood up to him like that. _Who does that Seto Kaiba think he is?_ He thought. _Getting all angry because I spoke to a pretty girl...I didn't even think he liked girls!! _

Seto stared at his desk the whole time, not saying a word to anyone. _Jerk! _He thought. _Ooh...wait till I get my hands on him...he'll wish he'd never transferred to this school..._

It was lunchtime. Riley decided he would go and try to make Otogi his personal slave, when he noticed Seto heading in that direction.

_That's even better! _Riley thought. _I worked hard to get Sophia and Kaiba together...this bum Otogi could ruin everything! Go fer it, Kaiba! Defend the woman you love!_

"Hey! Otogi!" Seto shouted.

Otogi, who was playing with a strand of his hair, turned around. "Hmm? Yes?"

"Where do you think you're going, Otogi?"

"Well, it's none of your business," Otogi started, playing with the same strand of hair, "but I'm going to ask Sophia if she wants to have lunch with me. Then I'm going to take her out on a date. You have a problem with that?"

Seto was furious. "I think you know darn well what my problem is! Now, let's get something straight here...Sophia is **mine**! You got that?! And you're not going to take her from me!"

"Ah, so you do know her?" Otogi said, somewhat surprised. "She's **your** girl?! Hah! Don't make me laugh, Kaiba!" Then, he suddenly became serious. "She could never love a guy like you! You are self-centered and arrogant! There's no way you could ever have feelings for someone. You don't understand..."

"On the contrary, Otogi," Seto said coldly. "I think it's you doesn't understand. Why don't you just get it through your head, Sophia doesn't like you! She wouldn't go out with a show-off like you in a million years!!"

They exchanged cold glances.

"I **will **have Sophia!" Otogi said, stubbornly. "She **will** be my girl!!"

"_Over my dead body!!!" _Seto shouted.

"_Then so be it!!!" _ Otogi screamed back. With this, Otogi pulled back a fist and punched Seto in the gut, hard.

"_Ah!" _Seto gasped. He fell to the ground.

Riley, who had been watching the whole thing, gasped. _Ah no! This is not good..._

Seto slowly pulled himself to his feet. "Ooh...why I oughta..." He walked up to Otogi and socked him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"_Oof!"_ Otogi grunted as he hit the ground. This had been the last straw for him. _"Argh! Tackle!!!!" _Otogi screamed as he jumped up and lunged at Seto.

Sophia had been sitting with Izumi and her friends. _That's weird...Seto would have been here by now..._ she thought. _Something's wrong...I feel it..._

Suddenly, she heard a voice that sounded remotely like Riley, shouting:

"**_FIGHT!!!!!" _**

"What the devil?" Izumi said as she got up and ran. "Riley-kun!"

"Izumi-chan! Wait for us!" her friends shouted as they ran after her.

_Hm...not my problem..._Sophia thought. She got up and started to walk away. Suddenly, one of Izumi's friends shouted: "Oh no! Otogi-kun is killing Kaiba-kun!!"

Sophia quickly turned and ran in the other direction. _"Oh no! Seto!!" _she cried.

As Sophia reached the scene, she had to push her way through a crowd of people. "Let me through!" she shouted. As she got to the front of the crowd, she shouted, _"Ryuji! Stop it!"_

Otogi had pinned Seto to the ground. He had been pounding Seto's head against the hard concrete while trying to strangle him.

Otogi looked up at Sophia, flattered that she had called him "Ryuji" instead of "Otogi-kun" like everyone else. "Sophia!!" he shouted. "I am going to have you for my girlfriend, as soon as I finish this creep off! Just you watch!"

"Ryuji! Please don't hurt him!" Sophia said as she began to cry.

"Ah! Wha..." Otogi stumbled. He was confused. _She's...crying..._ he thought. _She would cry over this jerk? But...I thought she liked **me** for sure! What's going on here...? _

Seto, who was barely conscious, looked up at a figure who looked like Sophia. "S-...So-phi...?" he stammered.

"Let him go, Ryuji," Sophia said. "Please...you'll kill him!"

Otogi stared at Sophia. "Isn't that what we want?!"

"What _we_, Ryuji?"

"You and me, Sophia! Of course!"

"Ryuji..." Sophia said. Then it hit her. _Oh no...Ryuji must like me too...! _"Ryuji! I know why you're doing this! You like me, don't you?"

"You know!" Otogi said. "Then you should know I'm crazy about you!"

"Then you must know..." Sophia started, "...this is going to hurt your feelings, but...Seto is my boyfriend."

Otogi felt his heart skip a beat. _She can't be saying this..._he thought. _She just can't be! There's no way they can be together! And she just called him "Seto"?! This can't be happening!!! _

"Now...let go of him, Ryuji...please," Sophia pleaded.

_I don't want to see her cry anymore..._Otogi thought. _I just want to see her happy... _Otogi let go of Seto. He stood up, faced Sophia and said, "Well, you got what you wanted. I just hope this jerk makes you happy. If he treats you badly in any way, feel free to come talk to me." With these words, Otogi walked off.

Riley was running back from somewhere as Otogi walked by. He bumped into Riley on purpose. "Well excuse you!" Riley muttered. "Sophia! I called the hospital! Is Kaiba okay?"

"I always thought you were the one cousin of mine with some sense, Seto!" Noah said as he, Mokuba, and Sophia were sitting in Seto's hospital room a few hours after his fight with Otogi. "Do you realize you could have been killed?!"

Seto looked up. He had a bandage around his head and there were scratches on his neck where Otogi had strangled him.

"Noah...shut up," Seto said to his cousin. "You don't understand..."

"You're right!" Noah shot back. "I don't understand. I guess it's true...love is blind..."

"What does that mean, Noah?" Mokuba asked.

"Ah, never mind..." Noah sighed. _Luckily, I will never fall in love with some bimbo girl like Seto did..._

Sophia just stared as they argued. "I wish I got along that well with my cousins..." she said to herself. Her cousins never did talk to her because they were jealous of her abilities.

"Did you just say something, Sophi?" Seto asked.

Sophia awoke from her daydream. "Oh! I was just thinking about how well you get along with your cousin and brother. I wish I got along that well with my cousins..."

"No you don't!!" Noah and Seto replied at the same time.

Sophia just giggled.

At this time, a nurse walked into the room to check on Seto's condition. Sophia recognized her. "Hey Mom. What's up?"

Seto, Noah, and Mokuba looked up.

_Oh no..._Seto thought. _Not her...not this crazy woman..._

"Are you feeling better, Seto?" Jenna asked. "So, who are your other friends?"

"This is Seto's cousin Noah and his little brother Mokuba," Sophia said.

"I believe I remember his little brother," Jenna said as she winked at Mokuba.

Just then, Mokuba had remembered something. "It's her..." he said, as though in a trance, as a thought came back to his mind...

It was a couple of weeks ago at the lake...the day Sophia saved Seto from drowning. Sophia had thrown Mokuba her cell phone and told him to call the hospital.

"_Here! Call for help!" she said to Mokuba. _

_Mokuba dialed the number. On the other end, a nurse answered the phone: _

"_Hello, may I help you?" the kind nurse had asked. _

_Mokuba, who was a little shy, and still shaken up from having fallen in the lake himself, replied, "Hi...um...my brother fell in the lake..." _

"_Oh wow..." the nurse had replied in a spacey voice. "Is he alright?" _

"_Um...if he were..." Mokuba started, "I don't think that stupid girl Sophia would have given me her phone to call you..."_

_At this point, for some strange reason, the nurse had asked him what Sophia's full name was and also knew his brother's name was Seto. At the time, Mokuba didn't pay this any mind. He only knew that his older brother could die. He rudely shouted: _

"_WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THIS?! MY BROTHER NEEDS HELP!! NOW GET DOWN HERE!!" _

As this thought was coming back to him, Mokuba looked at Jenna furiously and said, "I remember now! You're that crazy nurse I talked to on the day of the lake incident!! Nii-sama could have died because of you!!"

"Well, now you know," Jenna said. She was smiling, despite the fact that Mokuba was officially pissed off.

"You're Sophia's mom?! Hah! I see the resemblance..." Mokuba remarked crudely.

"Mokuba! Be nicer to the kind lady," Noah said.

"_I don't gotta listen to you Noah!!" _Mokuba shouted defiantly. "You're not my brother! You're just some punk who just happens to be part of this family! _I **hate** you Noah!"_

"Mokuba!! Stop shouting!" Seto scolded. "I know I taught you better than that...and despite the fact that Noah's a punk, you don't hate him."

"But...Nii-sama!!"

"Trust me, Mokuba," Seto said, more to himself than to Mokuba, "You don't even know the meaning of the word 'hate'..."

Sophia and her mom just looked at each other.

_I wonder if they argue this much on a daily basis..._Sophia thought. _It's probably none of my business though..._

Sophia's mom stared out a window and sighed. _My poor daughter..._she thought. _To think that if she someday marries that boy Seto she would have to deal with this every day...and I don't know if she has that kind of patience... _She looked over at her daughter and her friends.

"Hey, would you boys just quit with the bickering?" Sophia asked.

"Sure thing, Sophi," Seto replied.

"HEY! You just said that because Sophia asked you to!" said an annoyed Noah. "Do you do everything she tells you?"

"No..." Seto said. "I just want her to be happy..."

"I will never understand girls..." Mokuba said.

_Well, we'll see, won't we? _Jenna thought, smiling. _They'd make a charming family..._

End Chapter Twenty-two

This was an awfully long chapter. This might be the longest chapter I've ever written! It took up eleven pages on my computer and 3 days because of Band Camp (which, by the way is over because for me, school starts next week...boo...). But, that's it! Tell me what you think of it. Ja ne!


	23. Friday Night

By Hikaru Hayashi

Okay...it's really starting to bum me that my favorite stories haven't been getting updated. It seems like everyone has writer's block! Well, for once, I don't, so I'm gonna keep 'em commin'!

Disclaimer note: I don't own anyone from Yu-Gi-Oh! I don't own Seto or Mokuba or Noah or Otogi/Devlin or Anzu or anyone!!! (And those last four I don't even like, yet I was gracious enough to put them in my fic...I'm just too nice, aren't I?)

A quick note: Did anyone see the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie yet? I did! It ROCKED!! Well, I thought so anyway

With that, lets' continue!

Chapter 23: Friday Night

"An Evening With The Carmichaels"

Friday night came--the night Seto was supposed to visit Sophia's house. At around five o'clock, Seto stood in front of his closet, pondering what he should wear.

_Argh! What am I gonna wear! _He thought. _Ah...this is harder than I thought it would be..._

Meanwhile, Sophia at her house was trying to decide what she was going to wear. _Well, I wanna look nice, so...I'll just put this on! _ She thought, picking out a baby blue spaghetti strap top and a blue miniskirt. She walked downstairs wearing the outfit she picked out, along with a necklace and emerald earrings (A/N: Her birthstone, her birthday is in May).

"Mom" she called downstairs. "What time is it? My clock broke."

"It's 5:30!" Mrs. Carmichael shouted back. "Your friend doesn't show up for some time. Just relax!"

_Easy for you to say_ Sophia thought.

An hour and a half later, Seto decided it was about time to head over to Sophia's house. He put on his favorite white jacket (A/N: the one from Battle City on the show ::swoon:: he looks so hot in that jacket) and walked downstairs, where Mokuba and Noah were waiting for him.

"_Oooh_, Seto" Noah teased. "You're looking awfully snazzy today...Gasp! Could it be that you're taking Sophia on a **date?!?" **

"NO!!!" Seto shouted, blushing. Then he muttered, "That's tomorrow, you dork...I'm just going over to her house for a few hours, alright? Be good Noah! And make sure Mokuba doesn't stay up late watching horror movies"

"I don't think you have to worry about that this time, Nii-sama," Mokuba said. "Last time I did that, I had nightmares for weeks"

"All right then!" Seto said as he walked out the door and got into his limo.

Noah looked at Mokuba. "Nightmares about what, Mokuba?" he asked.

Mokuba stared at Noah. "Why would I tell YOU?" he asked. "I'm not telling you about the giant slime monster that blacked out the sun, or about all the major skyscrapers downtown collapsing on people, OR about the axe-murderer that broke into our mansion and killed everyone here INCLUDING Nii-sama, but for some strange reason he spared me, **OR...!!!!" **

"Mokuba! Calm down!" Noah said, shaking Mokuba back to his senses.

"Wha..!!..Ooh...I have a headache.......I want coffee!! Can I have coffee, Noah?"

"Um...well...I don't think-"

"Yeah!!" Mokuba shouted as he ran off. "It _rocks_ not having Nii-sama around!! I hope he goes on dates **every** weekend!!!"

Noah sighed. "It's going to be a long night...Seto is going to kill me..."

Sophia sat in the living room until she heard someone knocking on the door.

_Is it Seto? _She thought as she got up to answer the door. She opened the door to find that she was right.

"Hey there, Sophi!" he said.

"Uh...hi...! Yeah," Sophia said, blushing. _Wow, he looks sooo hot in that jacket_ she thought. "Oh! Uh, come in!"

Sophia's mom came out of the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Seto!" she said in her usually bubbly voice. "Well, don't just stand there! Come in and have a seat! Dinner's almost ready!" With this, Jenna returned to the kitchen.

Seto sat on the couch next to Sophia.

At this moment, Rick, Sophia's dad, came downstairs and sat in the chair facing the couch. "Hello there, Soto."

"It's Seto," Seto replied coldly.

"Whatever," Rick said.

The three just sat in the living room, not saying a word.

Sophia looked at Seto. _It's too quiet,_ she thought. _I actually should keep my mouth shut, but the silence is deafening! _"So!" she started. "How'dja do on that math exam today? I thought it was so hard! Trig was never my best subject."

"It wasn't _that_ hard, Sophi," Seto replied.

_Showoff,_ Sophia thought. _I forgot that he gets perfect A's on everything! That was definitely the wrong subject!! Better think of something else... _

"You better not have **failed **this exam you're talking about, Soph!" Rick said, out of the blue.

"Daddy!" Sophia moaned.

"I'm pretty sure you did okay, Sophi!" Seto said to her, smiling. "You're a very bright girl! I'm sure you did fine."

"Really, Seto?" Sophia said, beaming.

"Nobody asked YOU, punk," Rick snorted.

"Oh, shut up, Old man," Seto growled.

Rick stood up. "Make me...Soro"

"_Can't you get my name right **once**, Old man!!!!" _ Seto shouted as he jumped up. _"My name is not freaking 'Soro'!! It's '**Seto**'!!!!" _

Rick pounded the coffee table they were sitting in front of. "I don't care, Stevo!"

"_IT'S **'SETO'**!!!!!!!" _Seto shouted, pounding the same coffee table and putting a dent in it.

"Seto! Please!" Sophia said, standing up and putting her hand on his shoulder.

"_You PUNK!!" _Rick whined. "Do you have any idea how much this was?!?! This was one of the original pieces of furniture we brought from our old house in San Francisco! This cost me $5100 bucks!!!"

"...So?" Seto replied.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH $5100 BUCKS IS, KIDDO!!!"

"_Feh! _It's not that expensive. I could have this table repaired and buy 3 more exactly like it if I wanted to," Seto bragged.

"IT TAKES FRIGGIN $3300 DOLLARS TO REPAIR THIS!! YOU DON'T GOT THAT KINDA MONEY YOU GOOD-FER-NOTHIN'--"

"Uh, Daddy" Sophia interrupted. "Yes he does."

"Oh...well then" Rick muttered, sitting back down.

"Oh, wait, don't sit down Old man!" Seto said. "I still need to knock the crap out of you!"

"Oh!" Rick said, jumping back up. "Is this a challenge? Kid, you need to get some meat on your bones before you can beat ME up!! And I'm not **_old!_** I've already told you this!"

"Yeah...you're not old. You're _ancient!!!" _

"RRRAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!! YOU'RE REALLY PUSHING ME, YOU DELINQUINT BRAT!!!"

"Really!" came Jenna's voice from the doorway. "Can't you two keep the noise down? The neighbors across town can hear you arguing. And Richard!!! I told you to be nice to Seto!!"

"How come your wife can remember my name, but you can't, Old man?!" Seto asked, frustrated.

Rick sat down in his chair and grumbled.

"Y'know, it wouldn't hurt you to remember my name, Old man."

Rick just grumbled. "Yah...whatever you say, Mr. Bad..."

Dinner was quiet for the most part. Sophia thought of starting another conversation, but she knew it would only lead to Seto and her dad arguing. So she decided to keep her big mouth shut.

Finally, Mrs. Carmichael said, "So, Seto, what's your family like?"

"Yah, cause I'd like a piece of his old man right about now for raising a delinquent son..." Mr. Carmichael mumbled with his mouth full.

"Richard!!!" Jenna scolded.

Seto heard Rick's comment. "Unfortunately, Old man, you can't do that."

"Then I should at least talk to your mother" Rick said, looking up.

"My parents are dead."

Jenna gasped. _"Oh! _You poor thing!!"

"Well!" Rick said. "Don't you live with a grandmother, or an uncle or someone?"

"I'll bet you were adopted, right Seto?" Jenna asked.

"Good!" Rick said. "Then I can talk to your adopted father, right?"

"Nope!" Seto said, obviously enjoying playing with their heads. "He's dead too!!"

"Blast it all, who do you live with then?!"

"I live with my little brother and my stupid annoying step-cousin."

"Well, any grown-ups?"

"Nope! None who can tell me what to do."

"Well, no wonder you're such a delinquent!" Rick said as though he just solved the greatest mystery on the planet.

Jenna ignored this comment. "So, what's your little brother's name, Seto?"

"It's Mokuba," Seto replied.

"Cute name!" Jenna complimented. "I'm sure you must adore him"

"Don't he ever get on yer nerves, boy?" Rick said, once again talking with food in his mouth. "I mean, lookin' after him by yourself, with no authorized adults around? An' wha's with the stupid lookin' necklace yer wearin'?"

Seto blushed as he tried to hide his pendant, when Sophia took it from him.

"Y'know, I always did wonder why you wore this."

"Give it back!!!" Seto growled.

"Oh, come on! Let me see!" Sophia said as she opened it. "Ooh...it's like a locket!" Inside was a picture of Mokuba. "Cute picture of your brother."

"Ooh! I wanna see!" Sophia's mom said, getting up out of her chair and walking around the table to Sophia's spot.

Before she got there, however, Seto had snatched it back. "That's enough of that if you don't mind..."

"Ph-hah! Women" Rick grumbled.

"What was that, Richard?" Jenna asked as she was sitting back down. "So, tell me about your cousin, Seto."

"His name's Noah and he's a pest"

"I feel a little sorry for him actually," Sophia said. "I mean, he did almost die in that train wreck."

Seto looked at Sophia. "I'll sell him to you for twenty dollars," he said.

"Come on!" Sophia said. "We both know Noah's worth more than that. And I don't want him."

"I'll give him to you for free, then!!" Seto said. "You can take him back to America with you! Just get him out of my face!!"

"Actually, we're not leaving for quite some time," Jenna said.

"Not I if I got anythin' to say 'bout it" Rick grumbled with food in his mouth.

"Richard!!!"

"...You dress like a show-off, boy," Rick said. "And you walk like one too! What's with the fancy jacket anyway, Mr. Bad?!"

Seto suddenly jumped up. "Well!" he said with one of his fake smiles. "Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Carmichael! It was great."

"But, Seto," Jenna said, concerned. "You didn't even touch your food..."

"Yeah!" Rick agreed. "Eat up, Slim Jim! You can stand to gain a few pounds."

"One more remark like that, Old man," Seto threatened, "and I'll--"

"I know!! How about I show Seto around the house!" Sophia said, suddenly getting out of her seat and grabbing Seto's hand. "Come on!!"

"Why, how thoughtful of you, Sophia!" Jenna said.

"Come on, Seto! I'll show you my room!!" Sophia said, leading Seto out of the dining room.

"Nothing _fresh!!! _Ya hear me, kid?!" came Rick's voice.

Sophia lead Seto upstairs and to her room. When they were there, she closed the door, sat on her bed, and said, "So, what's up, Seto?"

"...I wasn't hungry," Seto replied.

"Not _that_" Sophia said. "There's something else bugging you. I can feel it. What's wrong?"

Seto sat in the chair at Sophia's desk. "Sophi..." he started. "... ... _Argh!_ Sophi, your parents are driving me _crazy!!!!!_ I mean it! Your mom's too happy. Nobody should smile all the time! And your dad...!!!!" Seto buried his face in his hand. "They're both driving me insane!" he muttered. "It's giving me a headache..."

"Aww, poor Seto" Sophia said. She stood up and walked over to him. "Seto," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You can go home now if you want. I'm sure your brother misses you."

He looked up at her. "But, Sophi!"

"It's okay! Really," She said. "I won't make you put up with my parents any longer. I know exactly how you feel, trust me!" With this, she winked at him.

Seto stood up and hugged her. _"Oh, Sophi! Thank you so much!!" _he said, relieved that he no longer had to stay. He then walked out the room, looking back at Sophia and smiling before he left.

Sophia walked to the stairs to hear their voices:

"**HEY!!** Where are YOU goin' Skinny Boy!"

"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Carmichael!"

"No! You're leaving already?!"

"Yep!"

"Please, stay for just two more hours! We were just getting to know you!"

"YOU HEARD THE WOMAN! GIT YER BUTT BACK HERE!!! NOOOOOOOW!!!"

"Bye, Sophi! I'll meet you in the park tomorrow, okay?"

"Bye, Seto!" she called back. She couldn't help giggling at the way her parents were acting.

Seto returned home to find the place a total mess (A/N: As if his day wasn't bad enough). "What the heck happened here?!" he shouted.

Isona ran to him. "Mr. Kaiba! You're back!"

"Isona! What happened to my mansion?!" Seto yelled. "You can't watch the place for two hours! Why is it that I can't leave without something happening?!"

"A thousand pardons, sir," Isona said, bowing. "But"

"_Seto!" _Noah shouted as he ran towards him, panting. His clothes were torn, he had scratches on him, and he was limping. "It's Mokuba! He's gone loony!!"

"_WHAT!!!"_ Seto shouted. "Why didn't you tell me this, Isona!"

"Well, I was going to, but...OH! Just come with me!"

"Where is he now?" Seto asked.

"Last time I saw, he was in the billiards room acting like a madman!" Noah said as the approached the room. "Look!"

Mokuba was hanging from the chandelier in his underwear. "I'm the King of the Jungle!" he shrieked, Tarzan-style. "Where's my servant?! Noah! Get your tail back here!!!" He looked towards the doorway to see Isona, Noah, and a very disappointed Seto.

Mokuba gasped as he fell from the chandelier. _"N-N-Nii-sama!!" _he stuttered as he was getting back to his feet. "Y-y-you're back!! Uh, I-I-I can explain!!"

"Yeah!" Seto said, clearly pissed off. "You'd better!!"

Isona stared off into space. "Um...hmm"

Noah muttered under his breath, "You're gonna get it now."

Seto tapped his foot. "Mokuba, I'm ashamed of you! I leave the house for a while and you start acting like you have no sense! I _know _I taught you better than that!! _Now go to your room!!!!" _

"_Hai, Nii-sama," _Mokuba moaned as he slunk back to his room. He knew he was in big trouble.

"And put some clothes on!" Seto called after his little brother. He sighed and put his hand on his forehead. "I have a headache," he muttered as he began to walk away. "It's been a long day."

Isona whispered to Noah, "Y'know, giving Mr. Mokuba coffee probably wasn't the greatest idea in the world."

Noah, who was exhausted from trying to calm Mokuba down, glared at Isona. "I didn't **let **him have the stinking coffee!" he said.

Seto heard this comment. He spun around and glanced at Noah. "You **WHAT?!"** he shouted.

"Ah! Oops," Noah mumbled. He ran as quickly as possible to his room to escape from the enraged Seto.

End Chapter Twenty-three

It's taken me so long to post this chapter because of homework and stuff...but it's finished! (Stupid school. I hate school!) Some of my formatting turned into crazy symbols, like my elipses! (...) Does that happen to anyone else? Anyway, now review! Ja ne!


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